burr

¹

[ bur ]

noun

1. Also a protruding, ragged edge raised on the surface of metal during drilling, shearing, punching, or engraving.
2. a rough or irregular protuberance on any object, as on a tree.
3. a small, handheld, power-driven milling cutter, used by machinists and die makers for deepening, widening, or undercutting small recesses.
4. a lump of brick fused or warped in firing.

verb (used with object)

1. to form a rough point or edge on.
2. deburr.

burr

²

or bur

[ bur ]

noun

1. a washer placed at the head of a rivet.
2. a blank punched out of a piece of sheet metal.

burr

³

[ bur ]

noun

1. a pronunciation of the r- sound as a uvular trill, as in certain Northern English dialects.
2. a pronunciation of the r- sound as an alveolar flap or trill, as in Scottish English.
3. any pronunciation popularly considered rough or nonurban.
4. a whirring noise.

verb (used without object)

1. to speak with a burr.
2. to speak roughly, indistinctly, or inarticulately.
3. to make a whirring sound.

verb (used with object)

1. to pronounce (words, sounds, etc.) with a burr.

burr

⁴

or buhr

[ bur ]

noun

1. burstone.

Burr

⁵

[ bur ]

noun

1. Aaron, 1756–1836, vice president of the U.S. 1801–05.

burr

¹

/ bɜː /

noun

1. short for buhrstone
2. a mass of hard siliceous rock surrounded by softer rock

Burr

²

/ bɜː /

noun

1. BurrAaron17561836MUSPOLITICS: statesman Aaron . 1756–1836, US vice-president (1800–04), who fled after killing a political rival in a duel and plotted to create an independent empire in the western US; acquitted (1807) of treason

burr

³

/ bɜː /

noun

1. a washer fitting around the end of a rivet
2. a blank punched out of sheet metal

burr

⁴

/ bɜː /

noun

1. a small power-driven hand-operated rotary file, esp for removing burrs or for machining recesses
2. a rough edge left on a workpiece after cutting, drilling, etc
3. a rough or irregular protuberance, such as a burl on a tree
4. a burl on the trunk or root of a tree, sliced across for use as decorative veneer

noun

1. a variant spelling of bur

verb

1. to form a rough edge on (a workpiece)
2. to remove burrs from (a workpiece) by grinding, filing, etc; deburr

burr

⁵

/ bɜː /

noun

1. phonetics an articulation of (r) characteristic of certain English dialects, esp the uvular fricative trill of Northumberland or the retroflex r of the West of England
2. a whirring sound

verb

1. to pronounce (words) with a burr
2. to make a whirring sound

Word History and Origins

Origin of burr¹

First recorded in 1605–15; spelling variant of bur ¹

Origin of burr²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English burrewez (plural), buruhe “circle,” variant of brough “round tower”; broch

Origin of burr³

First recorded in 1750–60; apparently both imitative and associative, the sound being thought of as rough like a bur

Origin of burr⁴

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English burre, probably so called from its roughness

Word History and Origins

Origin of burr¹

C18: probably from bur , from its qualities of roughness

Origin of burr²

C16 (in the sense: broad ring on a spear): variant of burrow (in obsolete sense: borough )

Origin of burr³

C14: variant of bur

Origin of burr⁴

C18: either special use of bur (in the sense: rough sound) or of imitative origin

Example Sentences

This week’s cold open mocked president-elect Donald Trump by having the cast pretend to support him, and guest host Bill Burr’s monologue could be viewed from different lenses.

From Los Angeles Times

Is Bill Burr’s comedy meant to be taken at face value or is he doing a high-wire self-parody of the type of edgelord comedy that drew ire after a Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally?

From Los Angeles Times

A tie hasn’t happened since 1800, when Thomas Jefferson tied with Aaron Burr.

From Los Angeles Times

I think about the Bill Burr pumpkin spice Boston beer ad often.

From Los Angeles Times

On Wednesday, TfL's safety committee heard an "error" meant it had been stated Ms Burr had walked between two buses.

From BBC