birse

English

Etymology

Borrowing from Scots birse ("bristle, hair").

Noun

birse (plural birses)

1. (Scotland) bristle

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.

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Scots

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bɪrs], [bʌrs]

Noun

birse (plural birses)

1. bristle, hair
2. sheaf, plume (of bristles)
3. beard
4. anger, temper

Derived terms

• birsies (“bristles”) (diminutive)
• pit the birse up (“to make angry or ill-tempered”)
• whirl o birse (“the ace of spades”)

Verb

tae birse (third-person singular simple present birses, present participle birsin, simple past birsed, past participle birsed)

1. to put a bristle on
2. to flare up, get angry

Derived terms

• birsie (“bristly, hairy; hot-tempered, passionate; of the weather: keen, sharp; difficult”)
• birsed-ends (“a shoemaker's thread”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bɪrz], [bʌrz]

Noun

birse (plural birses)

1. (medicine) bruise
2. pressure

Verb

tae birse (third-person singular simple present birses, present participle birsin, simple past birsed, past participle birsed)

1. to bruise
2. to push, press, squeeze

Derived terms

• birse ben a bit (“move along a bit”)
• birse tae (“push to”)