burl Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the wood cut from a tree burl or outgrowth; often used decoratively in veneer
  2. noun a large rounded outgrowth on the trunk or branch of a tree
  3. noun soft lump or unevenness in a yarn; either an imperfection or created by design
    slub; knot.
  4. verb remove the burls from cloth

WordNet

Burl transitive verb
Etymology
OE. burle stuffing, or a knot in cloth; cf. F. bourlet, bourrelet, OF. bourel, a wreath or a roll of cloth, linen, or leather, stuffed with flocks, etc., dim. of bourre. *92. See Bur.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Burled ; present participle & verbal noun Burling
Definitions
  1. To dress or finish up (cloth); to pick knots, burs, loose threads, etc., from, as in finishing cloth.
Burl noun
Definitions
  1. A knot or lump in thread or cloth.
  2. An overgrown knot, or an excrescence, on a tree; also, veneer made from such excrescences.

Webster 1913