Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

briar

/bɹaɪə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.86 in modern English

Syllables: bri-ar
IPA: /bɹaɪə/

7

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of many plants with thorny stems growing in dense clusters, such as many in the Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax genera.

noun

Anything that is sharp or unpleasant to the feelings.

noun

Tree heath (Erica arborea), a thorny Mediterranean shrub.

noun

A pipe for smoking, made from the roots of that shrub.

name

A topographic surname from Middle English.

name

A unisex given name from English.

Example Sentences

"Youngthes folke now flocken in every where, To gather May-buskets and smelling brere"
"¶ 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."
"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;[…]"
"Then he put the insulted pipe in his pocket, corked himself up with the immense briar, and sneered at Cripps over the top of it."

Etymology

From Middle English brere, from Old English brēr [Old Mercian], brǣr (“briar, bramble”); further origin unknown, perhaps related to Old French bruiere (“heather”) (French bruyère). Compare Old Norse brǫrr (“briar”), whence Icelandic brörr.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: brere, brēr, bruyère

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /bɹaɪə/

Inflected Forms

briars (plural) brier (alternative) breer (alternative, Scotland) brere (alternative, obsolete) breare (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

briared briarwood briary sweetbriar

Phrases

briar-patch grin like a mule eating briars smile like a mule eating briars sweet briar sweet-briar briar-pipe briar-root Briar Hill

Synonyms

briar pipe tree heath brier erica arborea bullbrier greenbrier catbrier horse brier horse-brier smilax rotundifolia

Rhymes With

fire higher entire prior require desire wire hire acquire buyer tire liar

Questions

How do you pronounce briar?: The recorded pronunciation is /bɹaɪə/.
What does briar mean?: Any of many plants with thorny stems growing in dense clusters, such as many in the Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax genera.
Where does briar come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce briar

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