Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Having burs; prickly.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Full of burs; resembling burs: as, burry wool.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Abounding in burs, or containing burs; resembling burs.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Abounding in burs.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective having or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines or thorns or setae etc.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

bur +‎ -y

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Examples

Comments

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  • adj. prickly

    December 29, 2007

  • Adjective. Description of one in appearance & mannerism. Rough, boorish, uncouth, shaggy, unkempt.

    May 17, 2008

  • (adjective/verb) - (1) Probably rough, boorish, according to Lord Hailes. It might bear this meaning as descriptive of the shaggy appearance of a dog; from French bourru, flockie, hairie, rugged, and Old French bourre, locks of wool. But it seems more naturally to convey the idea of cruelty. From French bourreau, an executioner. --John Jamieson's Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language, 1808 (2) Burrie, to push roughly; to crowd confusedly and violently; to overpower. --Alexander Warrack's Scots Dialect Dictionary, 1911 (3) Shaggy; rough. --Sir James Murray's New English Dictionary, 1888

    January 26, 2018