burro

[ bur-oh, boo r-oh, buhr-oh ]

/ ˈbɜr oʊ, ˈbʊər oʊ, ˈbʌr oʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR burro ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural bur·ros.

a small donkey, especially one used as a pack animal in the southwestern U.S.

any donkey.

RELATED WORDS

mule, ass, jackass

Nearby words

Origin of burro

1790–1800; < Spanish < Portuguese, back formation from burrico ass < Vulgar Latin *burriccus for Late Latin burrīcus pony

Can be confusedborough burro burrow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for burro

Burro is a very high island, and may be seen at the distance of twenty leagues with great ease.
An Historical Journal of the Transactions at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island|John Hunter
Confiding Scotch went out to play with the burro and was kicked.
The Story of Scotch|Enos A. Mills
He was a clever workman, and, when he worked, as regular and faithful as a burro.
Song of the Lark|Willa Cather
Florence hurried across the street and began explaining to the woman about their search for Carlitos and the burro.
The Mystery of Carlitos|Helen Randolph

The late Tertiary horse has grown to be the size of a burro of to-day, though probably it was a little more slender.
The Meaning of Evolution|Samuel Christian Schmucker

British Dictionary definitions for burro

burro

/ (ˈbʊrəʊ) /

noun plural -ros

a donkey, esp one used as a pack animal

Word Origin for burro

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for burro

burro

"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."