Meanings
burl1
present singular third person burls · participle present burling · participle past burled · past burled · alternative UK burr
- To remove the knots in cloth.
Burl2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsoft lump or unevenness in a yarn; either an imperfection or created by design
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Medieval Latinburra“flock of wool, coarse hair”
- Old Frenchbourre
- Old Frenchbourle“flocks or ends of threads which disfigure cloth”
- Middle Englishburle“a knot or flaw in cloth”
- Englishburl
From Middle English burle (“a knot or flaw in cloth”), from Old French bourle (“flocks or ends of threads which disfigure cloth”), diminutive of Old French bourre, from Medieval Latin burra (“flock of wool, coarse hair”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish pahka
- pahkatree growth
French loupe, loupe
- loupetree growth
- loupemottled wood
Hungarian görcs, göcs
- görcstree growth
- göcstree growth
- göcsörttree growth
Russian кап, кап
- кап (kap)tree growth
- кап (kap)mottled wood
Spanish lobanillo, lupia
- lobanillomottled wood
- lupiamottled wood
Swedish vril, masurknöl
- vriltree growth
- masurknöltree growth
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with burl
Anagrams
Cite this entry
burl. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burl
“burl.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burl. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “burl,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burl.
Source: burl on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.