SINCE 1828
burl
noun
\ ˈbər(-ə)l
\
\
Definition of burl
1
: a knot or lump in thread or cloth
2a
: a hard woody often flattened hemispherical outgrowth on a tree
b
: veneer made from burls
Examples of burl in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The bronze-and-basalt cocktail tables are custom, the steel wall lamp is by Wo & Wé, and the burl-root sculpture on the mantel is from Full Circle Modern. — Bob Morris, ELLE Decor, "A Minimalist West Village Townhouse Is Given a Sensuous and Cerebral New Life," 23 Nov. 2018 Hodder stopped underneath a tree called the Bison tree, which has a big burl 30 feet up its trunk that looks like a buffalo. — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "Family’s legendary grove of old-growth redwoods preserved," 26 June 2018 On another is her prized collection of boxes from all over the world including unique thuya wood burl boxes from Morocco. — Kadee Krieger, NOLA.com, "Shotgun House Tour opens the doors to eclectic beauties in Algiers Point," 9 May 2018 Abby wandered through the redwood groves in jeans and hiking boots, stopping to remark on a burl here or a root system there. — Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, "The Story of a Trans Woman’s Face," 12 Mar. 2018 In the Met’s early example, the brow is shaped like a spackling knife and retains the burl of the wood grain, though its top edge has been splintered over time. — Jason Farago, New York Times, "African Masterpieces With the Grace of Kings," 17 Jan. 2018 In the master bedroom, for example, a T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings gueridon table sits beneath a John Currin painting, and the burl-maple bed is framed by 19th-century Chinese cloisonné lamps and Andy Warhol portraits. — Derek Blasberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Lightness of Being: Samantha Boardman," 23 Aug. 2013 Even smaller parts of trees can be incredibly valuable: In 2014 there were 18 cases of thieves hacking out chunks of burl from 1000-year-old California redwoods. — Lyndsie Bourgon, Smithsonian, "How Thousand-Year-Old Trees Became the New Ivory," 22 May 2017 The stunning spiral case has a handmade newel post of walnut burl inlay. — J.a. Berger, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "An MBA member embarks on an historic project," 30 Aug. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'burl.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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