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burrow

 - 4 dictionary results

bur⋅row

  [bur-oh, buhr-oh]
Use burrow in a Sentence
–noun
1. a hole or tunnel in the ground made by a rabbit, fox, or similar animal for habitation and refuge.
2. a place of retreat; shelter or refuge.
–verb (used without object)
3. to make a hole or passage in, into, or under something.
4. to lodge in a burrow.
5. to hide.
6. to proceed by or as if by digging.
–verb (used with object)
7. to put a burrow into (a hill, mountainside, etc.).
8. to hide (oneself), as in a burrow.
9. to make by or as if by burrowing: We burrowed our way through the crowd.
Origin:
1325–75; ME borow, earlier burh, appar. gradational var. of late ME beri burrow, var. of earlier berg refuge, OE gebeorg, deriv. of beorgan to protect; akin to OE burgen grave, i.e., place of protection for a body; see bury

Related forms:
bur⋅row⋅er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To burrow
bur·row   (bûr'ō, bŭr'ō)   


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n.  

  1. A hole or tunnel dug in the ground by a small animal, such as a rabbit or mole, for habitation or refuge.

  2. A narrow or snug place.

v.   bur·rowed, bur·row·ing, bur·rows

v.   intr.

    1. To dig a hole or tunnel for habitation or refuge.

    2. To live or hide in such a place.

  2. To move or progress by or as if by digging or tunneling: "Suddenly the train is burrowing through the pinewoods" (William Styron).

v.   tr.

  1. To make by or as if by tunneling.

  2. To dig a hole or tunnel in or through.

  3. Archaic To hide in or as if in a burrow.


[Middle English borow.]
bur'row·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

burrow 
"rabbit-hole, fox-hole, etc.," c.1360, from O.E. burgh "stronghold, fortress" (see borough); influenced by bergh "hill," and berwen "to defend, take refuge." The verb is first attested 1771.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: bur·row
Pronunciation: 'b&r-(")O, 'b&-(")rO
Function: noun
: a passage or gallery formed in or under the skin by the wandering ofa parasite (as the mite of scabies or a foreign hookworm) —burrow verb
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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