Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BUR, n. [Sax. burre, burdock; W. bar, a bushy head or bunch; Ir. borr, a bunch or knob; Fr. bourrée, bush.]

1. A rough prickly covering of the seeds of certain plants, as of the chestnut and burdock.
2. A broad ring of iron behind the place for the hand on a spear used in tilting. – Encyc.