Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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noun
A very strong, coarse cloth, made from jute, flax, or hemp, and used to make sacks, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: hessian, crocus
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To wrap or cover in burlap.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
coarse jute fabric
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: gunny
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: sacking, bagging
History
Uncertain. Attested since about 1695 in the spelling bore-lap, borelapp. Likely from burel (“a coarse woollen cloth”) + lap (“flap of a garment”), where the first element is from Middle English burel, borel. Others feel that "its character and time of appearance makes a Dutch origin very likely" (and the earliest references as to its importation from the Netherlands); the NED suggests derivation from Dutch boenlap (“coarse, rubbing linen or cloth”) with the first element perhaps confused with boer (“farmer, peasant”). Bense similarly suggests derivation from an unattested Dutch *boerenlap, where boeren would be used in the sense of “coarse” as in boerenkost (“coarse, heavy food as is eaten by farmers”) or boerenpraat (“coarse, rural speech”).
Across languages
48 source translations are retained for this English entry.
