noun
burl
BURL/bɜːrl/
A rounded knot or lump in wood or another fibrous material.
A rounded burl protrudes from the old walnut tree's trunk.
Etymology
The Old French “tuft of wool” became a small knot in cloth or thread, then a knotlike growth on a tree. The French word’s deeper ancestry is uncertain.
In context
you get this one with kind of the the natural center of the burl and the rays coming of it
More examples
- The woodworker admired the swirling grain inside the burl.
- Several small burls interrupted the smooth thread.
- The bowl was carved from a richly patterned burl.
Forms
burl · burls
Similar words
- knot
- A broader lump or tangle, while a wood burl is an irregular growth.