burro
[bur-oh, boo r-oh, buhr-oh]
- a small donkey, especially one used as a pack animal in the southwestern U.S.
- any donkey.
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Origin of burro
1790–1800; < Spanish < Portuguese, back formation from burrico ass < Vulgar Latin *burriccus for Late Latin burrīcus pony
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for burro
Historical Examples
And my burro sleeps beneath the wall, in the shadow of nodding roses.
The Book of KhalidAmeen Rihani
The donkey, or burro, as it is called, is to be seen everywhere in this country.
Aztec LandMaturin M. Ballou
The old Indian cut off some strips of burro jerke and threw them on the coals.
The Treasure TrailMarah Ellis Ryan
Bring up that third burro; I want to examine these fragments a little.
"Looks as if a burro had been here from the tracks," exclaimed Roger.
The Forbidden TrailHonor Willsie
burro
- a donkey, esp one used as a pack animal
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Word Origin
C19: Spanish, from Portuguese, from burrico donkey, ultimately from Latin burrīcus small horse
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for burro
n.
"donkey," 1800, from Spanish burrico "donkey," from Late Latin burricus "small, shaggy horse," probably from burrus "reddish-brown," from Greek pyrros "flame-colored, yellowish-red," from pyr (genitive pyros) "fire" (see fire (n.)). Or, for its shaggy hair, from Late Latin burra "wool."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper