# burl

> English word · Noun · IPA /bɝl/ · frequency rank #57,268

## Definitions
1. A tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner; a burr knot.
2. Wood of a mottled veneer, usually cut from such a growth.
3. A knot or lump in thread or cloth.

## Etymology
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”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/burl