burl

Plural: burls

Noun

the wood cut from a tree burl or outgrowth; often used decoratively in veneer
a large rounded outgrowth on the trunk or branch of a tree
soft lump or unevenness in a yarn; either an imperfection or created by design
A tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner; a burr knot.
Wood of a mottled veneer, usually cut from such a growth.
A knot or lump in thread or cloth.

Verb

Verb Forms: burled, burling, burls

To finish cloth by removing knots or lumps.
remove the burls from cloth
To remove the knots in cloth.

Examples

He had to burl his tile rack, removing all the unwanted letters to find a good play.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English burle (“a knot or flaw in cloth”), from Old French bouril, bourril (“flocks or ends of threads which disfigure cloth”), from Old French bourre, from Medieval Latin burra (“flock of wool, coarse hair”).

Synonyms

knot, slub

Scrabble Score: 6

burl: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
burl: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
burl: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

burl: valid Words With Friends Word