This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
brier
1or bri·ar
[ brahy-er ]
/ ˈbraɪ ər /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
a prickly plant or shrub, especially the sweetbrier or a greenbrier.
a tangled mass of prickly plants.
a thorny stem or twig.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of brier
1OTHER WORDS FROM brier
bri·er·y, adjectiveWords nearby brier
Other definitions for brier (2 of 3)
brier2
or bri·ar
[ brahy-er ]
/ ˈbraɪ ər /
noun
the white heath, Erica arborea, of France and Corsica, the woody root of which is used for making tobacco pipes.
a pipe made of brierroot.
Origin of brier
2First recorded in 1865–70; earlier bruyer, from French bruyère, Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin brūcāria “field of heather, heath,” from Late Latin brūcus “heath,” from unattested Gaulish broiko- (from Celtic wroiko-, source of Old Irish froech, Welsh grug ) + Latin -āria feminine of Latin noun suffix -arius; see -ary, -er2, -ar2
Other definitions for brier (3 of 3)
brier3
or bri·ar
[ brahy-er ]
/ ˈbraɪ ər /
noun Usually Disparaging.
(chiefly in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee) a term used to refer to a rustic, unsophisticated person, especially one from Appalachia.
Origin of brier
3First recorded in 1895–1900; shortening of brier breaker,briar breaker, probably a reference to the brier bushes found in Southern Appalachia; see also brier2
usage note for brier
This term is usually used with disparaging intent to refer to those white people who migrated north and west from Southern Appalachia throughout the first half of the 20th century. These migrants, mostly from eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, were looking for jobs in southeastern Ohio and other places. Brier has negative connotations similar to words such as hillbilly and redneck . But brier has also been used as a term of self-reference by the migrants themselves and their descendants.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use brier in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for brier (1 of 2)
brier1
briar
/ (ˈbraɪə) /
noun
any of various thorny shrubs or other plants, such as the sweetbrier and greenbrier
Derived forms of brier
briery or briary, adjectiveWord Origin for brier
Old English brēr, brǣr, of obscure origin
British Dictionary definitions for brier (2 of 2)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012