English
burl
Burl comes from Old French bourle ‘flocks or ends of threads which disfigure cloth’, and goes back to Medieval Latin burra.
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500burra‘flock of wool, coarse hair’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400bourre
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400bourle‘flocks or ends of threads which disfigure cloth’diminutive of bourre
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500burle‘a knot or flaw in cloth’
- Englishtodayburl
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500burra‘flock of wool, coarse hair’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400bourre
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400bourle‘flocks or ends of threads which disfigure cloth’diminutive of bourre
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500burle‘a knot or flaw in cloth’
- Englishtodayburl
Linked words
through Medieval Latin burra ‘flock of wool, coarse hair’
Today it means
noun A tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner; a burr knot.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Medieval Latin burra / burl