Etymology

briar

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Today it means: Any of many plants with thorny stems growing in dense clusters, such as many in the Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax genera. Full definition →

Middle English brere ← Old English brēr
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briar · noun1

  1. Old English · inherited frombrēr
  2. Middle English · inherited frombrere
  3. English todaybriar

From Middle English brere, from Old English brēr [Old Mercian], brǣr (“briar, bramble”); further origin unknown, perhaps related to Old French bruiere (“heather”) (French bruyère). Compare Old Norse brǫrr (“briar”), whence Icelandic brörr.

briar · noun2

  1. French · borrowed frombruyère
  2. English todaybriar

From French bruyère, assimilated with Etymology 1, above.

Briar · proper noun3

  1. Middle English · inherited frombrere“briar”
  2. English todayBriar

As a surname Middle English brere (“briar”).

Words from the same roots

Old Englishbrēr all →

Brearley

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.