Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1814, 1911
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BURRA, BURROW, Bora, n.1 [′bɔrɑ Sh.; ′bʌro Ork.]
1. "The rush, Juncus squarrosus" (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.; 1908 Jak. (1928), bora, burra; 1914 Angus Gl.; Ork. 1929 Marw., burrow). Sh. 1814 J. Shirreff Gen. View Agric. Shet. 65:
Juncus Squarrosus, provincially burra, is a valuable food for sheep in Shetland, in winter.Ork. 1911 J. Firth in Old-Lore Misc., Ork., Sh., etc. IV. i. 20:
The other inmates were content with the low, round straw stool, without a back, or with a hasso cut from a tuack of burra.
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"Burra n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/burra_n1>
