briar
American Heritage Dictionary:
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bri·ar1
also bri·er (brī'ər) 
n.
n.
- A Mediterranean shrub or small tree (Erica arborea) whose hard, woody roots are used to make tobacco pipes.
- A pipe made from the root of this plant or from a similar wood.
[French bruyère, heath, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *brūcāria, from Late Latin brūcus, heather, of Celtic origin.]
Fowler's Modern English Usage:
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briar, brier
Both spellings are used of two distinct words, meaning respectively a prickly bush and a type of wood (or a pipe made from it). The preferred spelling for both words is briar.
| breakthrough, breakdown, breach, breech | |
| bring, take, broadcast verb, broccoli |
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'briar'
- Smoking and Tobacco - briar: pipe carved from root burl of evergreen brier shrub
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