briar
4
8.0
- noun
- /ˈbraɪər/
:
espino
- The garden was full of briar plants, making it difficult to reach the flowers.
- briar patch
- briar tangle
- thorns and briars
Examples
-
I have twisted rose briar before your door.
-
Roses are as well known for their briars as they are for their beautiful colors and sweet-smelling scents.
Academic text (2017) -
I was born and raised in a briar patch.
-
Around the house, there are briar patches with berries and thorns.
Fiction book (1997) -
Long, spindly briar brambles grew straight up from the ground, reaching for the sunlight.
Fiction book (1995) -
After we had threaded our way through thickets of cane and briars, we found our way blocked by a cypress swamp.
Fiction book (2002) -
The hikers struggled to get through the briars that lined the overgrown path.
-
Be careful when picking wild roses; their briars can scratch your skin.
Synonyms
469
1.0
A bush with bright, often scented flowers and thorns
9
6.0
A rough, thorny bush that often has berries like blackberries or raspberries
5
1.0
A bush that grows roses
3
9.9
A climbing woody plant with sharp thorns, shiny leaves, and berries you cannot eat
2
2.9
A bush with many sharp points that often forms a thick barrier
1
9.5
A wild rose with prickly stems, sweet-smelling leaves, pink flowers, and red hips
1
9.9
A wild rose with prickly stems, sweet-smelling leaves, pink flowers, and small red fruit
1
5.7
A wild prickly bush with blackberries you can eat
A wild rose with prickly stems, sweet-smelling leaves, pink flowers, and red fruit
A wild rose with prickly stems, sweet-smelling leaves, bright pink flowers, and red fruit
A very prickly vine with shiny round leaves and clusters of black berries you cannot eat
A prickly woody vine with round stems, shiny leaves, and black berries in eastern woods
A very prickly woody vine with tough round stems, shiny leaves, and black berries
A very prickly climbing plant with tough stems and shiny black berries not for eating
Compounds
How Prickly
1
8.8
4
8.0
10
1.0
1
2.3
- US
Surface Forms
Etymology
Briar comes from the old English word brēr meaning 'thorn' or 'bramble'. That's why a briar is used for any prickly, thorny plant like a wild rose or woody vine.