burin

[ byoo r-in, bur- ]

/ ˈbyʊər ɪn, ˈbɜr- /

noun

a tempered steel rod, with a lozenge-shaped point and a rounded handle, used for engraving furrows in metal.

a similar tool used by marble workers.

a prehistoric pointed or chisellike flint tool.

Nearby words

Origin of burin

1655–65; < French < Italian burino (now bulino) graving tool, equivalent to bur- (perhaps < Germanic; see bore²) + -ino -ine²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for burin

Meanwhile, residents of Bracha settlement attacked Burin village, throwing Molotov cocktails at Bashir al-Zein's home.
Report: Israel Finds Tunnels Under West Bank Wall|Orly Halpern|June 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Just a little cross-hatching, a little rough spluttering work with the burin, and we have this bit of marvellous irony.
William Blake|Irene Langridge
She learned to handle the burin, and succeeded in this as in every thing else.
History of the Girondists, Volume I|Alphonse de Lamartine
And let these works suffice to prove that Lucas may be numbered among those who have handled the burin with ability.
Lives of the most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects|Giorgio Vasari

Then Claude Mellan, whose great and clever talent did not disdain second-rate works, in which he gave free play to his burin.
The Printed Book|Henri Bouchot
Burin was a pretty spot, and I saw it better on my return when there was no fog.
Sport in Vancouver and Newfoundland|John Rogers

British Dictionary definitions for burin

burin

/ (ˈbjʊərɪn) /

noun

a chisel of tempered steel with a sharp lozenge-shaped point, used for engraving furrows in metal, wood, or marble

an engraver's individual style

archaeol a prehistoric flint tool with a very small transverse edge

Word Origin for burin

C17: from French, perhaps from Italian burino, of Germanic origin: compare Old High German boro auger; see bore 1

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

Word Origin and History for burin

burin

engraver's tool, 1660s, from French burin, cognate with Italian bolino, Spanish buril, perhaps from Old High German bora "tool for boring" (see bore (v.)).