briar

also bri·er (brī'ər)
n.

1. A Mediterranean shrub or small tree (Erica arborea) whose hard, woody roots are used to make tobacco pipes.
2. 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.]

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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.

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For a list of words related to briar, see:

• Smoking and Tobacco - briar: pipe carved from root burl of evergreen brier shrub

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See words rhyming with "briar."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Briar.