Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A knot, lump, or slub in yarn or cloth.
  • noun A large rounded outgrowth on the trunk or branch of a tree.
  • noun The wood cut from such an outgrowth, often used decoratively as a veneer.
  • transitive verb To dress or finish (cloth) by removing knots, lumps, slubs, or loose threads.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To pick knots, loose threads, etc., from, as in finishing cloth; specifically, to pick (wool) by hand.
  • To cleanse (cloth), as with fullers' earth or a similar substance.
  • noun A pimple.
  • noun A small knot or lump in thread, whether woven into cloth or not.
  • noun A knot or an excrescence on walnut and other trees, used for ornamental veneering.
  • To welter.
  • Same as birl.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To dress or finish up (cloth); to pick knots, burs, loose threads, etc., from, as in finishing cloth.
  • transitive verb a peculiar kind of nippers or tweezers used in burling woolen cloth.
  • noun A knot or lump in thread or cloth.
  • noun An overgrown knot, or an excrescence, on a tree; also, veneer made from such excrescences.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner.
  • noun Wood of a mottled veneer, usually cut from such a growth.
  • noun A knot or lump in thread or cloth.
  • verb To remove the knots in cloth.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb remove the burls from cloth
  • noun soft lump or unevenness in a yarn; either an imperfection or created by design
  • noun a large rounded outgrowth on the trunk or branch of a tree
  • noun the wood cut from a tree burl or outgrowth; often used decoratively in veneer

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English burle, from Old French bourle, tuft of wool, diminutive of bourre, coarse wool, from Late Latin burra, shaggy garment.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English burle ("stuffing", "knot in cloth")

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Examples

  • Natural regeneration of burl occurs when ripe fruits naturally fall on the ground or are dispersed by animals such as fruit bats.

    Chapter 15 1992

  • I have an old Austrian violin that has wood with a kind of burl used for the sides.

    Mandolin Cafe News 2009

  • Should Mr. Gates have not run his mouth, yes! but I don't think that is cause to arrest him. burl

    NRCC targets Obama for saying Cambridge cop 'acted stupidly' 2009

  • Wishes are everything to criminals, and the burl of black clouds over the trees is unimportant.

    Poetry, Please « Tales from the Reading Room 2009

  • I forgot walnut tables ... think about it if a 1 qt burl bowl can go for $40 - $100 dollars due to character ... think of what this would bring as an all wood dining table and chair set or used to make hutches, beds, coffee and end tables.

    Would You Pay $25,000 for a Piece of Wood? 2010

  • What do you reckon, ladies - should we give it a burl?

    Cheeseburger Gothic » Ladies Lounge 2009

  • Wishes are everything to criminals, and the burl of black clouds over the trees is unimportant.

    2009 May « Tales from the Reading Room 2009

  • Tony leaned toward me and moved his arm across the burl console.

    Brooklyn Story Suzanne Corso 2011

  • I forgot walnut tables ... think about it if a 1 qt burl bowl can go for $40 - $100 dollars due to character ... think of what this would bring as an all wood dining table and chair set or used to make hutches, beds, coffee and end tables.

    Would You Pay $25,000 for a Piece of Wood? 2010

  • Inside, the quilted Alcantara paneling, plush carpeting, burl walnut veneers and stainless-steel-and-chrome trimming make the Supersports as perfectly suited to Sunday-afternoon driving as it is to the race course.

    Dueling Bentleys: Supersports vs. Speed 2010

Comments

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  • My neighbor's cube used to have a Memorial Burl on top of it. He left his job, and about a year later we mailed him the burl.

    April 7, 2009

  • Good of you. One needs one's burl at hand.

    April 8, 2009