burnet

[ ber-net, bur-nit ]

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.

Origin of burnet

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

Other definitions for Burnet (2 of 2)

Burnet

[ ber-net, bur-nit ]

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

These are the Zygn, or Burnets, of the family of the Zygnid.
The Insect World | Louis Figuier
She had never felt so completely outside a home in her life as she did when she was in the Burnets' parlour.
The Wife of Sir Isaac Harman | H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
The moths belonging to this family are popularly known in Britain as Burnets and Foresters.
The Moths of the British Isles, Second Series | Richard South
This species (Plate 147, Figs. 3-5) is the most generally common of our Burnets.
The Moths of the British Isles, Second Series | Richard South

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

Origin of 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

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