From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Bur \Bur\, Burr \Burr\ (b[^u]r), noun [OE. burre burdock; cf. Dan. borre, OSw. borra, burdock, thistle; perh. akin to E. bristle (burr- for burz-), or perh. to F. bourre hair, wool, stuff; also, according to Cotgrave, ''the downe, or hairie coat, wherewith divers herbes, fruits, and flowers, are covered,'' fr. L. burrae trifles, LL. reburrus rough.]
1. (Bot.) Any rough or prickly envelope of the seeds of plants, whether a pericarp, a persistent calyx, or an involucre, as of the chestnut and burdock; a seed vessel having hooks or prickles. Also, any weed which bears burs.
Amongst rude burs and thistles. --Milton.
Bur and brake and brier. --Tennyson.
2. The thin ridge left by a tool in cutting or shaping metal. See {Burr}, noun, 2.
3. A ring of iron on a lance or spear. See {Burr}, noun, 4.
4. The lobe of the ear. See {Burr}, noun, 5.
5. The sweetbread.
6. A clinker; a partially vitrified brick.
7. (Mech.) (a) A small circular saw. (b) A triangular chisel. (c) A drill with a serrated head larger than the shank; -- especially a small drill bit used by dentists.
8. [Cf. Gael. borr, borra, a knob, bunch.] (Zo["o]l.) The round knob of an antler next to a deer's head. [Commonly written {burr}.]
{Bur oak} (Bot.), a useful and ornamental species of oak ({Quercus macrocarpa}) with ovoid acorns inclosed in deep cups imbricated with pointed scales. It grows in the Middle and Western United States, and its wood is tough, close-grained, and durable.
{Bur reed} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Sparganium}, having long ribbonlike leaves.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: seed vessel having hooks or prickles [syn: {burr}]
2: small bit used in dentistry or surgery [syn: {burr}]
verb
1: remove the burrs from [syn: {burr}] [also: {burring}, {burred}]
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