burl

[ burl ]

See 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

Other 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 BEAST
burl Jasperson was a portly little man with legs too short for his bulging body, and clothes that were too tight.
The Star Lord | Boyd Ellanby
By the end of the third week out, burl Jasperson was afflicted by an almost intolerable tension.
The Star Lord | Boyd Ellanby
He was gone a long time, thought burl, and when at last he returned his feet were dragging more than ever.
The Star Lord | Boyd Ellanby
Only 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)

burl¹

/ (bɜːl) /

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)

Origin of burl

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

Derived forms of burl

burler, noun

British Dictionary definitions for burl (2 of 2)

burl²

birl

/ (bɜːl) /

nouninformal

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

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

Scientific definitions for burl

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.

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