from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Bur \Bur\, Burr \Burr\ (b[^u]r), n. [OE. burre burdock; cf. Dan.
borre, OSw. borra, burdock, thistle; perh. akin to E. bristle
(burr- for burz-), or perh. to F. bourre hair, wool, stuff;
also, according to Cotgrave, "the downe, or hairie coat,
wherewith divers herbes, fruits, and flowers, are covered,"
fr. L. burrae trifles, LL. reburrus rough.]
1. (Bot.) Any rough or prickly envelope of the seeds of
plants, whether a pericarp, a persistent calyx, or an
involucre, as of the chestnut and burdock; a seed vessel
having hooks or prickles. Also, any weed which bears burs.
[1913 Webster]
Amongst rude burs and thistles. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
Bur and brake and brier. --Tennyson.
[1913 Webster]
2. The thin ridge left by a tool in cutting or shaping metal.
See {Burr}, n., 2.
[1913 Webster]
3. A ring of iron on a lance or spear. See {Burr}, n., 4.
[1913 Webster]
4. The lobe of the ear. See {Burr}, n., 5.
[1913 Webster]
5. The sweetbread.
[1913 Webster]
6. A clinker; a partially vitrified brick.
[1913 Webster]
7. (Mech.)
(a) A small circular saw.
(b) A triangular chisel.
(c) A drill with a serrated head larger than the shank; --
especially a small drill bit used by dentists.
[1913 Webster]
8. [Cf. Gael. borr, borra, a knob, bunch.] (Zool.) The round
knob of an antler next to a deer's head. [Commonly written
{burr}.]
[1913 Webster]
{Bur oak} (Bot.), a useful and ornamental species of oak
({Quercus macrocarpa}) with ovoid acorns inclosed in deep
cups imbricated with pointed scales. It grows in the
Middle and Western United States, and its wood is tough,
close-grained, and durable.
{Bur reed} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Sparganium}, having
long ribbonlike leaves.
[1913 Webster]