brier

¹

or bri·ar

[ brahy-er ]

noun

1. a prickly plant or shrub, especially the sweetbrier or a greenbrier.
2. a tangled mass of prickly plants.
3. a thorny stem or twig.

brier

²

or bri·ar

[ brahy-er ]

noun

1. the white heath, Erica arborea, of France and Corsica, the woody root of which is used for making tobacco pipes.
2. a pipe made of brierroot.

brier

³

or bri·ar

[ brahy-er ]

noun

, Usually Disparaging.

1. (chiefly in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee) a term used to refer to a rustic, unsophisticated person, especially one from Appalachia.

brier

¹

/ ˈbraɪə /

noun

1. a variant spelling of briar 1

brier

²

/ ˈbraɪə /

noun

1. any of various thorny shrubs or other plants, such as the sweetbrier and greenbrier

Sensitive Note

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.

Derived Forms

• ˈbriery, adjective

Other Words From

• brier·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of brier¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English brer, breir, Old English brǣr, brēr; akin to bramble

Origin of brier²

First 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; -ary, -er ², -ar ²

Origin of brier³

First recorded in 1895–1900; shortening of brier breaker, briar breaker, probably a reference to the brier bushes found in Southern Appalachia; brier ²( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of brier¹

Old English brēr , brǣr , of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Democrats want to be thrown in that brier patch—it might be their best chance to win the midterms.

From The Daily Beast

Many of the boys in Blackrock school would have found a difficulty in stating the exact grounds of their regard for Mrs. Brier.

From Project Gutenberg

"Now, come here," said Mrs. Brier to a little knot of boys who could not find room by the Doctor and his microscope.

From Project Gutenberg

So Mrs. Brier left the room for a moment, to return again in company with the servant.

From Project Gutenberg

Mrs. Brier was present, and this added to the mystery, as she was rarely seen in the library.

From Project Gutenberg

The morning came, and the anxiety which the Doctor and Mrs. Brier had felt the night before was not removed but rather increased.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• foliage
• hedge
• shrubbery
• thicket
• topiary
• tree