brier

brier
brier1
—briery, adj.
/bruy"euhr/, n.
1. a prickly plant or shrub, esp. the sweetbrier or a greenbrier.
2. a tangled mass of prickly plants.
3. a thorny stem or twig.
Also, briar.
[bef. 1000; ME brer, OE braer, brer; akin to BRAMBLE]
brier2
/bruy"euhr/, n.
1. the white heath, Erica arborea, of France and Corsica, the woody root of which is used for making tobacco pipes.
2. a pipe made of brierroot.
Also, briar.
[1865-70; earlier bruyer < F bruyère, OF < Gallo-Latin *brucaria field of heather, equiv to *bruc- heather ( < Gaulish, perh. *broiko- (with early L change of oi > u) < Celtic *wroiko- > OIr froech, Welsh grug) + L -aria -ARY; cf. early ML brucus, brugaria; see -ER2, -AR2]
brier3
/bruy"euhr/, n. Usually Disparaging.
(chiefly in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee) a rustic or hillbilly, esp. one from Appalachia.
[shortening of brier hopper]

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also spelled briar

term generally applied to any plant with a woody and thorny or prickly stem, such as those of the genera Rosa, Rubus, Smilax, and Erica.

White, or tree, heath (E. arborea) is found in southern France and the Mediterranean region. Its roots and knotted stems are used for making briarwood tobacco pipes. Its leaves are needlelike and its flowers almost white.

* * *

▪ plant
also spelled briar 

      term generally applied to any plant with a woody and thorny or prickly stem, such as those of the genera Rosa, Rubus, Smilax, and Erica. White, or tree, heath (E. arborea) is found in southern France and the Mediterranean region. Its roots and knotted stems are used for making briarwood tobacco pipes. Its leaves are needlelike and its flowers almost white.

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Universalium. 2010.

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