burrow
noun
- hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal
verb
- make, dig a burrow
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈbʌɹəʊ/ / /ˈbʌɹoʊ/ / /ˈbɜɹoʊ/
name
Etymology: English surname, from the noun borough. Also from the noun burrow and the two senses were often conflated. Compare Burrough, Burgh.
- A surname.
- A place in England:
- A place in England:
- A place in England:
- A place in England:
noun
Etymology: From Middle English borowe, borewe, borwȝ, burȝe, burh, burye (“refuge for an animal, lair, burrow”), apparently a variant of Middle English burgh (“fortified dwelling, stronghold, refuge”) (see borough) and thus from Old English burh, from Proto-West Germanic *burg, from Proto-Germanic *burgz (“stronghold, city”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“high”), but this sense is not known in Old English burh. Compare, however, Dutch cognate burcht, which has a similar sense. It may be related to bury (“to dig”), in which case it would be derived from Proto-Indo-European *bʰergʰ- (“to protect, defend, save, preserve”).
- A tunnel or hole, often as dug by a small creature.
“But very soon he grew to like it, for the Boy used to talk to him, and made nice tunnels for him under the bedclothes that he said were like the burrows the real rabbits lived in.”
- Obsolete form of barrow (“a mound”).
- Obsolete form of borough (“an incorporated town”).
verb
Etymology: From Middle English borowe, borewe, borwȝ, burȝe, burh, burye (“refuge for an animal, lair, burrow”), apparently a variant of Middle English burgh (“fortified dwelling, stronghold, refuge”) (see borough) and thus from Old English burh, from Proto-West Germanic *burg, from Proto-Germanic *burgz (“stronghold, city”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“high”), but this sense is not known in Old English burh. Compare, however, Dutch cognate burcht, which has a similar sense. It may be related to bury (“to dig”), in which case it would be derived from Proto-Indo-European *bʰergʰ- (“to protect, defend, save, preserve”).
- To dig a tunnel or hole.
- To move underneath or press up against in search of safety or comfort.
“The young girl burrowed into the bed.”
- To investigate thoroughly.
“The journalist burrowed into the origins of the mayor's corruption.”