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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

biro en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈbaɪ.ɹəʊ/ (UK)
  • (General-American) audio

Etymology

Genericized trademark of BIRO, named after László Bíró, the inventor of the first commercially succesful ballpoint pen.

Meanings

  1. (countable, uncountable) A Biro brand ballpoint pen.
    • Biro MARKS A TURNING POINT IN THE HISTORY OF Writing "BIRO" is unique: it writes with a ballpoint — a point that never goes wrong, never floods, bends or splutters — a point that rolls your writing on to the paper with effortless ease. "BIRO" ink dries as you write; you cannot smudge it; you need no blotter. […] Retail price 55/- including purchase tax 1945 November and December, Railway Magazine, page v, advertisement:
    • Frank's Biro taps delicately at the topmost of the little yellow notes. 1993, Iain Banks, Complicity, published 2008, unnumbered page:
  2. (Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, broadly, countable, uncountable) Any ballpoint pen.
    • Massimo's finger was poised above red on his multi-coloured biro like a kangaroo frozen in headlights. 2007, Karen Foxlee, The Anatomy of Wings, page 250:
  3. (broadly, uncountable) Ink from a ballpoint pen.
    • ‘My very creative 2-year-old son used my good friend′s white polyester Roman blinds as a canvas,’ says Jacqui. They′re now covered in blue biro. And although my friend isn′t too bothered by the biro, I am! Can you help?′ 2011, Shannon Lush, Jennifer Fleming, Completely Spotless, unnumbered page:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
biros Number=Plur lexicographic

Descendants

beiro · bajrow

wikidata: Q160137