brier
/ˈbraɪə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · [brˈaɪɚ] /ˈbraɪər/ (ame, ipa)
brier — 名詞
- briersingular
- briersplural
1. a wild shrub with sharp points on its stems, often a kind of rose
荊棘灌木
長滿尖刺的野生灌木
a wild shrub with sharp points on its stems, often a kind of rose
Liang cut his hand while pulling a brier away from the gate.
Liang 把荊棘灌木從門邊拉開時，割傷了手。
brier as a thorny plant by a place
Camila planted beans beside the fence, but a brier soon climbed through.
Camila 在籬笆旁種了豆子，但很快就有荊棘灌木攀了過來。
Minh saw a bird hide inside the brier by the pond.
Minh 看見一隻鳥躲進池塘邊的荊棘灌木裡。
Michael wore thick gloves before cutting the brier near the path.
Michael 在小徑旁修剪那株荊棘灌木前，先戴上厚手套。
用法筆記
Often used for a single thorny bush growing by a path, fence, or gate.
2. a dense patch of thorny plants growing together in a tangled mass
荊棘叢
一大片糾結難穿過的刺叢
a dense patch of thorny plants growing together in a tangled mass
Rachid pushed through the brier to reach the lost ball.
Rachid 穿過那片荊棘叢，去撿回丟失的球。
through the brier = thick patch of plants
Cyrus found rabbit tracks leading into the brier behind the barn.
Cyrus 發現兔子的腳印一路通向穀倉後面的荊棘叢。
Gabriel cleared a narrow path through the brier with garden shears.
Gabriel 用園藝剪在荊棘叢中清出一條窄路。
Meera stopped at the edge of the brier and looked for snakes.
Meera 停在荊棘叢邊緣，尋找蛇的蹤影。
- thicket
broader word for any dense growth, not only thorny plants
- bramble patch
more specific to blackberry-like bushes
用法筆記
This sense treats brier as a whole area of growth, not one plant or stem.
3. a single stiff, pointed branch from a thorny plant
刺枝
帶尖刺的細枝
a single stiff, pointed branch from a thorny plant
Liam snapped a dry brier from the hedge and tossed it aside.
Liam 從樹籬上折下一根乾刺枝，隨手丟到一旁。
one brier = one sharp branch
Ayana caught her sleeve on a brier beside the trail.
Ayana 的袖子在步道旁的一根刺枝上勾住了。
Christopher used a brier to scratch a line in the dirt.
Christopher 用一根刺枝在泥土上劃出一條線。
The child yelped when a brier scraped his calf near the creek.
那個孩子的小腿被溪邊的刺枝刮到時，痛得叫了一聲。
- thorny twig
plain descriptive phrase rather than a fixed dictionary label
- thorn
smaller and sharper; not the whole branch
用法筆記
Used when the word means one sharp twig or branch, especially one that catches skin or clothing.
4. the hard root of a shrub used to make smoking pipes, or a pipe made from that wo
石楠煙斗
石楠根製的煙斗或材料
the hard root of a shrub used to make smoking pipes, or a pipe made from that wood
The shop window displayed old briers beside silver lighters.
店櫥窗裡陳列著幾支老石楠煙斗，旁邊放著銀色打火機。
plural briers can mean finished pipes
An elderly man cleaned his brier after dinner on the porch.
那位老先生晚飯後坐在門廊上，仔細清理自己的石楠煙斗。
The maker chose brier because the wood stays strong in heat.
那位製作者選用石楠根，因為這種木料受熱時仍然結實。
A collector bought a carved brier from a small pipe shop in Dublin.
一位收藏家在都柏林的一家小煙斗店買下一支雕刻石楠煙斗。
- briar pipe
more explicit phrase for the finished smoking pipe
用法筆記
Usually found in pipe-making contexts; the plural briers often means smoking pipes rather than pieces of root.