burrow

Meanings

Plural: burrows

Noun

a hole made by an animal, usually for shelter
A tunnel or hole, often as dug by a small creature.
Obsolete form of barrow (“a mound”).
Obsolete form of borough (“an incorporated town”).

Verb

move through by or as by digging
- "burrow through the forest"
To dig a tunnel or hole.
To move underneath or press up against in search of safety or comfort.
To investigate thoroughly.

Origin / 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”).

Synonyms

tunnel

Scrabble Score: 11

burrow is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
burrow is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
burrow is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

burrow is a valid Words With Friends word