BUR

Multiple Entries:
  BUR    bur    burr  

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
BUR

▶abbreviation Burma (international vehicle registration).

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
bur

▶noun see burr.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
burr/bɜː(r)/

▶noun

• 1 a whirring sound.

  ■ a rough pronunciation of the letter r, as in some regional accents.

• 2 (also bur) a rough edge left on a metal object by the action of a tool.

• 3 (also bur) a small drill used in woodworking, dentistry, or surgery.

• 4 a siliceous rock used for millstones.

  ■ a whetstone.

• 5 (also bur) a prickly seed case or flower head that clings to clothing and animal fur.

• 6 (also bur) [as modifier] denoting wood containing a pattern of dense swirls in the grain.

• 7 the coronet of a deer's antler.

▶verb

• 1 make a whirring sound.

  ■ speak with a burr.

• 2 form a rough edge on (metal).

– origin ME: prob. of Scand. origin; the accent sense is prob. imitative.