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. 600–1500burra1‘flock of wool, coarse hair’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400bourre1
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400bourle1‘flocks or ends of threads which disfigure cloth’diminutive of bourre
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500burle1‘a knot or flaw in cloth’
- Englishtodayburl1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English burl
Lineage
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500burraWiktionary, English burl‘flock of wool, coarse hair’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400bourreWiktionary, English burl
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400bourleWiktionary, English burl‘flocks or ends of threads which disfigure cloth’diminutive of bourre
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500burleWiktionary, English burl‘a knot or flaw in cloth’
- EnglishtodayburlWiktionary, English burl
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.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “burl”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Medieval Latin burra / burl