Burney

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The surname of an 18th-century English novelist and diarist, best known for the novel Evelina and later known as Madame d'Arblay
2. A family name borne by an 18th-century English writer who was famous for the novel Evelina and her detailed journals
3. The name of a celebrated 18th-century English woman writer, author of Evelina, who was also a diarist and courtier's companion

Etymology: Burney is another spelling of Berney, so the two are the same family name written in two ways. As a surname, it passes from one generation to the next as a label for a family rather than a common word with a meaning of its own.