briar
1 Americannoun
noun
noun
-
Also called: tree heath. an ericaceous shrub, Erica arborea , of S Europe, having a hard woody root (briarroot)
-
a tobacco pipe made from the root of this plant
noun
Other Word Forms
- briary adjective
Etymology
Origin of briar
C19: from French bruyère heath, from Late Latin brūcus , of Gaulish origin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The glasses were sold along with a Barling briar pipe and two photographs of the comic.
From BBC • Jan. 11, 2025
It created a taut moment before we were launched into the briar patch below and Br’er Rabbit could hop to safety.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2024
Now he's caught in a briar patch of predatory lending endangering his life and his and Dennis' livelihood.
From Salon • Jun. 14, 2023
During the reprise, a complaint by Cinderella’s Prince about the “thicket of briar, 100 feet deep” protecting Sleeping Beauty leads to a tongue-twisting musical exchange:
From Washington Post • Mar. 16, 2023
Gendry looked fierce when he scowled^ His beard had grown in thick and black as briar.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
