briar

== English == === Alternative forms === brier, breer (Scotland), brere, breare (obsolete) === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /bɹaɪə/ IPA(key): /ˈbɹaɪɚ/ Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ) === Etymology 1 === From Middle English brere, from Old English brēr [Old Mercian], brǣr (“briar, bramble”); further origin unknown, perhaps related to Old French bruiere (“heather”) (French bruyère). Compare Old Norse brǫrr (“briar”), whence Icelandic brörr. ==== Noun ==== briar (plural briars) Any of many plants with thorny stems growing in dense clusters, such as many in the Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax genera. (figurative) Anything that is sharp or unpleasant to the feelings. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === From French bruyère, assimilated with Etymology 1, above. ==== Noun ==== briar (plural briars) White heath (Erica arborea), a thorny Mediterranean shrub. A pipe for smoking, made from the roots of that shrub. ===== Derived terms ===== briar-pipe briar-root ===== Translations ===== === Further reading === thicket on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Erica arborea on Wikispecies.Wikispecies === Anagrams === Ribar, birra