burnet

[ ber-net, bur-nit ]

/ bərˈnɛt, ˈbɜr nɪt /

Save This Word!

noun

any of several plants belonging to the genera Sanguisorba and Poterium, of the rose family, having pinnate leaves and dense heads of small flowers.

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of burnet

1225–75; Middle English <Middle French burnete, variant of brunete (see brunet); so called from its hue

Words nearby burnet

burned-out, burned up, Burne-Jones, burner, burner phone, burnet, burnet rose, Burnett, Burney, Burnham, Burnham scale

Other definitions for burnet (2 of 2)

Burnet

[ ber-net, bur-nit ]

/ bərˈnɛt, ˈbɜr nɪt /

noun

Sir (Frank) Mac·far·lane

[muhk-fahr-luhn], /məkˈfɑr lən/, 1899–1985, Australian physician: Nobel Prize in Physiology 1960.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use burnet in a sentence

Plastic bags fluttered in the wind, caught on the thorns of the wild burnet roses.
A More Civil Society|Noah Kristula-Green|July 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The child's literary education was directed by Burnet, with the title of Preceptor.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
But it soon appeared that many who could not help smiling at Burnet's weaknesses did justice to his abilities and virtues.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
Burnet's very name sufficed to raise among the High Churchmen a storm of mingled merriment and anger.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay

The ignominious failure of the attacks on Somers and Burnet seemed to prove that the assembly was coming round to a better temper.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
The reason for this apparent divergence between the provisions of the statute and the facts of the case is given by Burnet.
The Influence and Development of English Gilds|Francis Aiden Hibbert

British Dictionary definitions for burnet (1 of 2)

burnet

/ (ˈbɜːnɪt) /

noun

a plant of the rosaceous genus Sanguisorba (or Poterium), such as S. minor (or P. sanguisorba) (salad burnet), which has purple-tinged green flowers and leaves that are sometimes used for salads

burnet rose or Scotch rose a very prickly Eurasian rose, Rosa pimpinellifolia, with white flowers and purplish-black fruits

burnet saxifrage a Eurasian umbelliferous plant of the genus Pimpinella, having umbrella-like clusters of white or pink flowers

a moth of the genus Zygaena, having red-spotted dark green wings and antennae with enlarged tips: family Zygaenidae

Word Origin for burnet

C14: from Old French burnete, variant of brunete dark brown (see brunette); so called from the colour of the flowers of some of the plants

British Dictionary definitions for burnet (2 of 2)

Burnet

/ (bəˈnɛt, ˈbɜːnɪt) /

noun

Gilbert . 1643–1715, Scottish bishop and historian, who played a prominent role in the Glorious Revolution (1688–89); author of The History of My Own Times (2 vols: 1724 and 1734)

Sir (Frank) Macfarlane (məkˈfɑːlən). 1899–1985, Australian physician and virologist, who shared a Nobel prize for physiology or medicine in 1960 with P. B. Medawar for their work in immunology

Thomas . 1635–1715, English theologian who tried to reconcile science and religion in his Sacred theory of the Earth (1680–89)

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