Dictionary

briar en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɹaɪɚ/
• (Southern-England) audio
• /bɹaɪə/ (UK)

Etymology

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.

Meanings

1. Any of many plants with thorny stems growing in dense clusters, such as many in the Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax genera.
   • Youngthes folke now flocken in every where, To gather May-buskets and smelling brere 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “Maye. Ægloga Quinta.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh Singleton, […], →OCLC:
2. (figuratively) Anything that is sharp or unpleasant to the feelings.
   • Rov'd far, and gather'd much : some harsh, 't is true, / Pick'd from the thorns and briers of reproof, / But wholesome, well-digested;[…] 1785, William Cowper, The Task^(https://books.google.co.in/books?id=HqtbAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA168&dq=The+thorns+and+briers+of+reproof.+(Cowper)&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiSlr2ewLXkAhUOcCsKHWbMBSgQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=The%20thorns%20and%20briers%20of%20reproof.%20(Cowper)&f=false):
   • ¶ And thou ſonne of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their wordes, though bryars and thornes be with thee, and thou doeſt dwell among ſcorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be diſmayed at their lookes, though they be a rebellious houſe. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ezekiel 2:6:

Forms

Deriveds

briarwood · briary · smile like a mule eating briars · briared · sweetbriar · briar-patch · sweet briar · sweet-briar · grin like a mule eating briars

briar en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɹaɪɚ/
• (Southern-England) audio
• /bɹaɪə/ (UK)

Etymology

From French bruyère, assimilated with Etymology 1, above.

Meanings

1. Tree heath (Erica arborea), a thorny Mediterranean shrub.
2. A pipe for smoking, made from the roots of that shrub.
   • Then he put the insulted pipe in his pocket, corked himself up with the immense briar, and sneered at Cripps over the top of it. 1913, Norman Lindsay, A Curate in Bohemia, Sydney: N.S.W. Bookstall Co., published 1932, page 12:

Forms

Deriveds

briar-root · briar-pipe

Translations (27)

fr bruyère blanche (tree heath) · el ερείκη η δενδρώδης (tree heath) · fi puukanerva (tree heath) · cs vřesovec stromovitý (tree heath) · oc bruga blanca (tree heath) · pt quiroga (tree heath) · fr bruyère arborescente (tree heath) · pt betouro (tree heath) · cs bryerka (pipe) · pt urze-branca (tree heath) · es brezo arbóreo (tree heath) · sq shqopë e butë (tree heath) · fi puukellokanerva (tree heath) · sq sufër (tree heath) · gd dris (tree heath) · tr ağaç fundası (tree heath) · cy grugwydden grugwydd (tree heath) · sq mreçë (tree heath) · hu hangagyökér pipa (pipe) · es brezo blanco (tree heath) · de Baumheide (tree heath) · nl boomhei (tree heath) · sv trädljung (tree heath) · eu txilar zuri (tree heath) · fr pipe en bruyère (pipe) · pt urze-molar (tree heath) · de Bruyère-Pfeife (pipe)