burton

[bur-tn]

noun Nautical.

any of various small tackles for use on shipboard.
Spanish burton.

Origin of burton

1695–1705; probably by metathesis from Breton (takles), Brytton (takles) (late 15th cent.); see Breton, Briton

burton

[bur-tn]

Verb Phrases

go for a burton, British Slang.
1. to be lost, missing, or destroyed.
2. to die.

Origin of burton

First recorded in 1940–45; orig. disputed

Burton

[bur-tn]

noun

Harold Hitz [hits] /hɪts/, 1888–1964, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1945–58.
Sir RichardRichard Jenkins, 1925–84, English actor, born in Wales.
Sir Richard Francis,1821–90, English explorer, Orientalist, and writer.
RobertDemocritus Junior, 1577–1640, English clergyman and author.
a town in central Michigan.
a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for burton

Contemporary Examples of burton

The Daily Beast sat down with Burton to discuss Big Eyes and his beautiful, dark, twisted career.
Tim Burton Talks ‘Big Eyes,’ His Taste For the Macabre, and the ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel
Marlow Stern
December 17, 2014
Whatever the reason, Burton was committed enough to leave tiny Bunker Hill to seek out her beau.
Mrs. Manson, Hometown Antihero
Justin Glawe
November 24, 2014
Down a one-lane gravel road sits the house Burton left seven years ago.
Mrs. Manson, Hometown Antihero
Justin Glawe
November 24, 2014
He is “the most famous guy in the world,” Burton, who goes by Star, told Rolling Stone.
Mrs. Manson, Hometown Antihero
Justin Glawe
November 24, 2014
They abandoned the design by the highly regarded architects Ahrends, Burton & Koralek.
Imagining Prince Charles as King Makes All of Britain Wish They Could Leave Like Scotland
Clive Irving
September 17, 2014

Historical Examples of burton

Mr. and Mrs. Saylor went to Louisville and to see Mr. Burton.
Chit-Chat; Nirvana; The Searchlight
Mathew Joseph Holt
This book he sold to buy Burton's "Historical Collections" in forty volumes.
Benjamin Franklin
Paul Elmer More
"Come down, Burton; here's a youth for matriculation," cried the younger.
Confessions Of Con Cregan
Charles James Lever
The door opened, and Mr. Burton came in, dressed in a fisherman's suit.
Harper's Young People, September 7, 1880
Various
"Well, you mustn't be vexed with me, Mrs. Burton," Ludlow replied to her.
The Coast of Bohemia
William Dean Howells

British Dictionary definitions for burton

burton

noun

nautical a kind of light hoisting tackle
go for a burton British slang
1. to be broken, useless, or lost
2. to die

Word Origin for burton

C15: of uncertain origin

Burton

noun

Sir Richard Francis . 1821–90, English explorer, Orientalist, and writer who discovered Lake Tanganyika with John Speke (1858); produced the first unabridged translation of The Thousand Nights and a Night (1885–88)
Richard, real name Richard Jenkins . 1925–84, Welsh stage and film actor: films include Becket (1964), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), and Equus (1977)
Robert, pen name Democritus Junior . 1577–1640, English clergyman, scholar, and writer, noted for his Anatomy of Melancholy (1621)
Tim. born 1958, US film director whose work includes Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Ed Wood (1994), Corpse Bride (2005), and Alice in Wonderland (2010)

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