burl

[burl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR burl ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

to remove burls from (cloth) in finishing.

Origin of burl

1400–50; late Middle English burle ≪ Old French; akin to Medieval Latin burla bunch, sheaf, Late Latin burra wool, fluff

Related formsburl·er, noun

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

Related Words for burl

knob, bulge, swelling, protuberance, lump, clot, bump, growth, knot, nodule, burl, bud, tumor

Examples from the Web for burl

Contemporary Examples of burl

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

Historical Examples of burl

Just look up yonder, Burl, and see how the crows have gone to fighting.
Burl
Morrison Heady
Burl a-plowin' in de fiel', A-singin' fur de roasin'-ear to come.
Burl
Morrison Heady
Therefore did the magnanimous Burl dismantle himself at once.
Burl
Morrison Heady
"Dat's de cretor's music, an' dem's de cretor's capers," replied Burl.
Burl
Morrison Heady
Burl a-plowin' in de fiel', A-singin' fur de johnny-cake to come.
Burl
Morrison Heady

British Dictionary definitions for burl

burl

noun

a small knot or lump in wool

a roundish warty outgrowth from the trunk, roots, or branches of certain trees

verb

(tr) to remove the burls from (cloth)

Derived Formsburler, noun

Word Origin for burl

C15: from Old French burle tuft of wool, probably ultimately from Late Latin burra shaggy cloth

burl

birl

noun informal

Scot, Australian and NZ an attempt; try (esp in the phrase give it a burl)

Australian and NZ a ride in a car

Word Origin for burl

C20: perhaps from birl 1 in the Scot sense: a twist or turn

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 burl

"small knot in wool or cloth," mid-15c., from Old French bourle "tuft of wool," which perhaps is related to the root of bur, or from Vulgar Latin *burrula "small flock of wool," from Late Latin burra "wool."

burl in Science

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.