burl

noun \ ˈbər(-ə)l \

Updated on: 20 May 2018

Definition of burl

1 : a knot or lump in thread or cloth

2 a : a hard woody often flattened hemispherical outgrowth on a tree

b : veneer made from burls

Recent Examples of burl from the Web

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. 2017
More sudden than fossil or feather or driftwood burl on a desk, the sprig's scent conjures a dear place and time, jump-starting memory like satiny wildflowers chanced upon between pages of a book.

— michael engelhard, Alaska Dispatch News, "An ode to Alaska odors," 1 July 2017
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

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of burl

Middle English burle, from Anglo-French *bourle tuft of wool, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *burrula, diminutive of Late Latin burra shaggy cloth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year