Burring

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Forming a rough or raised edge on metal after cutting or drilling ; emitting a low, steady sound often from machinery or flowing air
2. Creating small sharp edges or projections on metal surfaces through mechanical processes ; producing a continuous humming or vibrating noise
3. Generating raised imperfections on metal parts by cutting or grinding ; making a quiet persistent background sound

Etymology: Burring comes from "burr," a noun that first named a rough seed head or prickly bur clinging to clothing and fleece. English may link it to Middle English "burre" and perhaps Old English "byrst," meaning bristle. Scandinavian cousins name the burdock plant and the sea urchin, both spiky, which suggests the prickly sense came first. The verb's sense of making rough edges follows from that. A burr is a ragged projecting edge left on metal or wood after cutting, so to burr is to leave such edges behind. The same family gives the rolled "r" sound, which may be imitative, akin to French "bruire," to rumble. In one special sense, burr is a doublet of borough, burrow and Bury. All trace back to "burgh," meaning a mound or settlement, whose alternative form "brough" follows a parallel path into English.

Synonyms: grinding, sanding