Burrow

How to spell burrow

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce burrow

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does burrow mean?

1. nounA hole or tunnel dug in the ground by a small animal for shelter or habitation.
2. verbTo dig a tunnel or hole in the ground, or to move into something by digging.

Burrow in a sentence

• noun

  The rabbit vanished into its burrow at the first sign of the dog.

• verb

  Moles burrow through the lawn and leave little mounds of soil.

• noun

  Naturalists mapped every fox burrow across the heath.

• verb

  The puppy likes to burrow under the blankets on cold nights.

Where does burrow come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Burrow comes from Old English burg or beorg, words for a fortified place, a shelter, or a protective mound, which carried the underlying idea of something that covers or defends. Over time the sense narrowed from a human stronghold to the snug underground refuge that a rabbit, badger, or fox digs for itself. The same Germanic root that gave shelter and protection also feeds into the related words 'borough' (a fortified town) and the verb 'to bury', which is why all three echo one another. By the medieval and early modern period 'burrow' had settled into its animal-den meaning, and the verb sense of digging or tunnelling followed naturally. The double r and the -ow ending are the spelling trap, since the word sounds almost identical to 'borough' and to the Spanish loan 'burro', yet none of them are spelled alike.

How the word is built

• burrow (single Old English root meaning a sheltering hole or mound; no separable prefix or suffix)

Words that sound like burrow

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• borough: A self-governing town or an administrative division of a larger city.