Briar vs. Brier — What's the Difference?

Any of a number of prickly scrambling shrubs, especially a wild rose.

Any of several prickly plants, such as certain rosebushes or the greenbrier.

A tobacco pipe made from woody nodules borne at ground level by a large woody plant of the heather family.

A Mediterranean shrub or small tree (Erica arborea) in the heath family, whose woody roots are used to make tobacco pipes. Also called tree heath.

The tree heath, which bears the nodules from which briar pipes are made.

A pipe made from the root of this plant or from a similar wood.

Any of several prickly plants, such as certain rosebushes or the greenbrier.

Variant of briar1.

A Mediterranean shrub or small tree (Erica arborea) in the heath family, whose woody roots are used to make tobacco pipes. Also called tree heath.

Alternative spelling of briar

A pipe made from the root of this plant or from a similar wood.

A plant with a slender woody stem bearing stout prickles; especially, species of Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax.

Variant of brier1.

Fig.: Anything sharp or unpleasant to the feelings.

Any of many plants with thorny stems growing in dense clusters, such as many in the Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax genera.

The white heath Erica arborea.

(figurative) Anything sharp or unpleasant to the feelings.

A smoking pipe made of the root of the brier{1}.

The white heath (Erica arborea), a thorny Mediterranean shrub.

Tangled mass of prickly plants

A pipe for smoking, made from the roots of that shrub.

A thorny stem or twig

Same as Brier.

Eurasian rose with prickly stems and fragrant leaves and bright pink flowers followed by scarlet hips

Eurasian rose with prickly stems and fragrant leaves and bright pink flowers followed by scarlet hips

A very prickly woody vine of the eastern United States growing in tangled masses having tough round stems with shiny leathery leaves and small greenish flowers followed by clusters of inedible shiny black berries

A very prickly woody vine of the eastern United States growing in tangled masses having tough round stems with shiny leathery leaves and small greenish flowers followed by clusters of inedible shiny black berries

Evergreen treelike Mediterranean shrub having fragrant white flowers in large terminal panicles and hard woody roots used to make tobacco pipes

Evergreen treelike Mediterranean shrub having fragrant white flowers in large terminal panicles and hard woody roots used to make tobacco pipes

A pipe made from the root (briarroot) of the tree heath