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burrow

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Burrow

English

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 burrow on Wikipedia

Etymology

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From Middle English borowe, borewe, borwȝ, burȝe, burh, burye (“refuge for an animal, lair, burrow”), apparently a variant of Middle English burgh (“fortified dwelling, stronghold, refuge”) (see borough) and thus from Old English burh, from Proto-West Germanic *burg, from Proto-Germanic *burgz (“stronghold, city”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“high”), but this sense is not known in Old English burh. Compare, however, Dutch cognate burcht, which has a similar sense.

It may be related to bury (“to dig”), in which case it would be derived from Proto-Indo-European *bʰergʰ- (“to protect, defend, save, preserve”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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burrow (plural burrows)

  1. A tunnel or hole, often as dug by a small creature.
    • 1921 June, Margery Williams, “The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Become Real”, in Harper’s Bazar, volume LVI, number 6 (2504 overall), New York, N.Y.: International Magazine Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
      But very soon he grew to like it, for the Boy used to talk to him, and made nice tunnels for him under the bedclothes that he said were like the burrows the real rabbits lived in.
  2. Obsolete form of barrow (“a mound”).
  3. Obsolete form of borough (“an incorporated town”).

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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burrow (third-person singular simple present burrows, present participle burrowing, simple past and past participle burrowed)

  1. (intransitive) To dig a tunnel or hole.
  2. (intransitive, with an adverbial of direction) To move underneath or press up against in search of safety or comfort.
    The young girl burrowed into the bed.
  3. (intransitive, with into) To investigate thoroughly.
    The journalist burrowed into the origins of the mayor's corruption.

Derived terms

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Translations

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