burl

American  

[burl] / bɜrl /

noun

1. a small knot or lump in wool, thread, or cloth.

2. 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.

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verb (used with object)

1. to remove burls from (cloth) in finishing.

burl ¹ British  

/ bɜːl /

noun

1. a small knot or lump in wool

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

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verb

1. (tr) to remove the burls from (cloth)

burl ² British  

/ bɜːl /

noun

1. an attempt; try (esp in the phrase give it a burl )

2. a ride in a car

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burl Scientific  

/ bûrl /

1. 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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Other Word Forms

• burler noun

Etymology

Origin of burl

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

Example Sentences

“They have more soul,” Berkofsky said of his patterned carbon-steel knives, which feature elegant handles he has sculpted in rare wood such as charred Osage orange, black ash burl and live edge double-dyed maple.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2025

Urban wood has a lot of character: streaks of color known as ambrosia; burl, which is essentially tree scar tissue; and birdseye, a distinctive pattern that looks like tiny, swirling eyes.

From Washington Post • Jan. 25, 2022

Cabinets by Ross Day are Jatoba, from South America, and Western Tiger maple, with smaller accessories in walnut burl and teak.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2020

He raised his arms slightly and squinted at them, a carpenter troubled by a burl in the wood.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 27, 2017

Cora thought he had a mean face, like a burl sprouting from a squat, sweaty trunk.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

• growth
• knot
• node