burrow
Plural: burrows
Noun
- a hole made by an animal, usually for shelter
- A tunnel or hole, often as dug by a small creature.
- Obsolete form of barrow (“a mound”).
- Obsolete form of borough (“an incorporated town”).
Verb
Verb Forms: burrowed, burrowing, burrows
- To dig a hole or tunnel, especially for shelter.
- move through by or as by digging
- "burrow through the forest"
- To dig a tunnel or hole.
- To move underneath or press up against in search of safety or comfort.
- To investigate thoroughly.
Examples
- He watched his opponent burrow deeply into their word list, searching for an obscure play.
- The journalist burrowed into the origins of the mayor's corruption.
- The young girl burrowed into the bed.
Origin / Etymology
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”).
Synonyms
Scrabble Score: 11
burrow: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordburrow: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
burrow: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary