briar

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See also: Briar

English

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Etymology 1

A sweet briar (Rosa rubiginosa, syn. Rosa eglanteria). Mudgee, New South Wales.

From Middle English brere, from Old English brēr, brǣr (“briar; bramble”). Compare Icelandic brörr (“briar”).

Noun

briar (plural briars)

  1. Any of many plants with thorny stems growing in dense clusters, such as many in the Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax genera.
  2. (figurative) Anything sharp or unpleasant to the feelings.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, Ezekiel 2:6:
      ¶ And thou ſonne of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their wordes, though bryars and thornes be with thee, and thou doeſt dwell among ſcorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be diſmayed at their lookes, though they be a rebellious houſe.
    • 1785, William Cowper, The Task‎:
      Rov'd far, and gather'd much : some harsh, 't is true, / Pick'd from the thorns and briers of reproof, / But wholesome, well-digested; […]
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Etymology 2

A briar pipe (2)

From French bruyère, assimilated with Etymology 1, above.

Noun

briar (plural briars)

  1. White heath (Erica arborea), a thorny Mediterranean shrub.
  2. A pipe for smoking, made from the roots of that shrub.
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