Burle

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To pick out the knots, lumps and loose threads from woven cloth during its finishing process
2. Removing the small knots and bits of waste yarn that stick out of fabric so that it looks smooth
3. Dressing cloth by trimming away the protruding knots and irregular threads left after weaving

Etymology: "Burle" is a Middle English borrowing from French "burle", meaning a jest, a trick, or a piece of mockery. The French word carried the sense of a joke or deception, and English took it up with much the same flavour, so that to "burle" someone was to play a trick on them or make fun of them. The word is now archaic in English, surviving mainly in literary and historical writing where it recalls the playful rough-and-tumble of older comic talk.

Synonyms: trim, dress, finish