From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishburrburr /bɜː $ bɜːr/ noun [countable] 1 (also bur)HBP the seed container of some plants, covered with sharp points that make it stick to things2 SPEAK A LANGUAGE British English a way of pronouncing English with a strong ‘r’ sound3 SOUNDa fairly quiet regular sound like something turning quickly SYN whirr the burr of a motor4 a rough spot on a piece of metal
Examples from the Corpus
burr• Usually in cases like that, one of the drive teeth has a burr on it.• He was missing two front teeth, and his hair was cut short in a burr.• Yet the one small doubt stuck in her mind like a burr in tweed.• This man was lodging himself like an irritating burr under her skin.• In most instances, a kink will produce a slight burr on the surface which can be smoothed out.• Where had I heard that burr?• The burr of reform still rolled in the Garnock Valley.• The burr will prevent a proper fitting being made and can also cut your fingers.Origin burr 1. (1600-1700) Probably from a Scandinavian language2. (1700-1800) Probably from the sound. 