Brier
/ˈbraɪ.ər/noun
A prickly shrub, especially a wild rose or thorny thicket.
Did you know?Brier is an old English word for a thorny plant, and its thorn-bush sense survives in place names and in the older spelling briar, which is also the source of the famous Briar Rose fairy-tale image.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhrē-
“To sprout, grow, or be in leaf”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*brīrą
“A briar, thorny shrub”
Old English
OE
brǣr
“A thorny bush or bramble”
Middle English
ME
brier
“A thorny shrub, especially a wild rose or bramble”
Modern English
English
brier
“A prickly shrub or thicket, especially a wild rose”