burl
a small knot or lump in wool, thread, or cloth.
a dome-shaped growth on the trunk of a tree; a wartlike structure sometimes 2 feet (0.6 meters) across and 1 foot (0.3 meters) or more in height, sliced to make veneer.
to remove burls from (cloth) in finishing.
Origin of burl
1Other words from burl
- burler, noun
Words Nearby burl
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use burl in a sentence
Scouting Report: Size-wise, Bob Costas (Syracuse '74) is clearly the underdog next to Oscar-winner burl "Big Daddy" Ives.
March Madness: Which Celebrity Alumni Will Win? | Michael Solomon | March 17, 2011 | THE DAILY BEASTburl Jasperson was a portly little man with legs too short for his bulging body, and clothes that were too tight.
The Star Lord | Boyd EllanbyBy the end of the third week out, burl Jasperson was afflicted by an almost intolerable tension.
The Star Lord | Boyd EllanbyHe was gone a long time, thought burl, and when at last he returned his feet were dragging more than ever.
The Star Lord | Boyd EllanbyOnly burl had a vague idea of taking something to some place to do something with it.
The Forgotten Planet | Murray Leinster
burl's fellow-humans were preoccupied with the filling of their stomachs.
The Forgotten Planet | Murray Leinster
British Dictionary definitions for burl (1 of 2)
/ (bɜːl) /
a small knot or lump in wool
a roundish warty outgrowth from the trunk, roots, or branches of certain trees
(tr) to remove the burls from (cloth)
Origin of burl
1Derived forms of burl
- burler, noun
British Dictionary definitions for burl (2 of 2)
birl
/ (bɜːl) /
Scot, Australian and NZ an attempt; try (esp in the phrase give it a burl)
Australian and NZ a ride in a car
Origin of burl
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for burl
[ bûrl ]
A large, rounded outgrowth on the trunk or branch of a tree. Burls develop from one or more twig buds whose cells continue to multiply but never differentiate so that the twig can elongate into a limb. Burls do not usually cause harm to trees.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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