brier

¹ American  

[brahy-er] / ˈbraɪ ər /

Or briar

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.

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brier ² American  

[brahy-er] / ˈbraɪ ər /

Or briar

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.

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brier ³ American  

[brahy-er] / ˈbraɪ ər /

Or briar

noun

Usually Disparaging.

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

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brier ¹ British  

/ ˈbraɪə /

noun

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

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brier ² British  

/ ˈbraɪə /

noun

1. a variant spelling of briar 1

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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.

Other Word Forms

• briery adjective

Etymology

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. )

Example Sentences

The M.C. gig became a brier patch for celebrities rather than a feather in their caps.

From New York Times

Camellia, sweet brier and pine trees surrounded its deserted sandy playground.

From New York Times

Another forces entrants to trudge for nearly three days and nights through the mud and brier of Tennessee mountains.

From Los Angeles Times

Experts said they thrive on poison ivy, poison oak, Kudzu, blackberries, nasty vines, and briers; and cost-savings are expected to result from using the goats instead of city staff.

From Washington Times

Our favorite writers can lead us into ideological brier patches and ethical thickets.

From New York Times

Related Words

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