Borrel

//ˈbɔɹəl// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A sort of pear with a smooth soft pulp; a red butter pear.
Adjective
  1. 1
    Ignorant, unlearned; belonging to the laity. obsolete

    "Siker thou speak'st like a lewd sorrel, Of heaven, to deemen so: Howbe I am but rude and borrel, Yet nearer ways I know."

Example

More examples

"Siker thou speak'st like a lewd sorrel, Of heaven, to deemen so: Howbe I am but rude and borrel, Yet nearer ways I know."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Compare Old French burel (“reddish”) or French beurré (“butter pear”).

Etymology 2

Probably from burel (“coarse woolen cloth”).

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.