Tangled mass of prickly plants.

synonyms: brier patch, brierpatch.

Roget 253: sharpness etc. adj.; acuity, acumination^†; spinosity^†.    point, spike, spine, spicule [Biol.], spiculum^†; needle, hypodermic needle, tack, nail, pin; prick, prickle; spur, rowel, barb; spit, cusp; horn, antler; snag; tag thorn, bristle; Adam's needle^†, bear grass [U.S.], tine, yucca.    nib, tooth, tusk; spoke, cog, ratchet.    crag, crest, arete [Fr.], cone peak, sugar loaf, pike, aiguille^†; spire, pyramid, steeple.    beard, chevaux de frise [Fr.], porcupine, hedgehog, brier, bramble, thistle; comb; awn, beggar's lice, bur, burr, catchweed^†, cleavers, clivers^†, goose, grass, hairif^†, hariff, flax comb, hackle, hatchel^†, heckle.    wedge; knife edge, cutting edge; blade, edge tool, cutlery, knife, penknife, whittle, razor, razor blade, safety razor, straight razor, electric razor; scalpel; bistoury^†, lancet; plowshare, coulter, colter^†; hatchet, ax, pickax, mattock, pick, adze, gill; billhook, cleaver, cutter; scythe, sickle; scissors, shears, pruning shears, cutters, wire cutters, nail clipper, paper cutter; sword etc. (arms) 727; bodkin etc. (perforator) 262; belduque^†, bowie knife^†, paring knife; bushwhacker [U.S.]; drawing knife, drawing shave; microtome [Micro.]; chisel, screwdriver blade; flint blade; guillotine.    sharpener, hone, strop; grindstone, whetstone; novaculite^†; steel, emery.    ... show more

Roget 663: bane, curse; evil etc. 619; hurtfulness etc. (badness) 649^†; painfulness etc. (cause of pain) 830; scourge etc. (punishment) 975; damnosa hereditas [Lat.]; white elephant.    sting, fang, thorn, tang, bramble, brier, nettle.    poison, toxin; teratogen; leaven, virus venom; arsenic; antimony, tartar emetic; strychnine, nicotine; miasma, miasm^†, mephitis^†, malaria, azote^†, sewer gas; pest.    [poisonous substances, examples] Albany hemp^†, arsenious oxide, arsenious acid; bichloride of mercury; carbonic acid, carbonic gas; choke damp, corrosive sublimate, fire damp; hydrocyanic acid, cyanide, Prussic acid, hydrogen cyanide; marsh gas, nux vomica [Lat.], ratsbane^†.    [poisonous plants] hemlock, hellebore, nightshade, belladonna, henbane, aconite; banewort^†, bhang, ganja^†, hashish; Upas tree.    [list of poisonous substances] Toxline (online).    rust, worm, helminth [Med.], moth, moth and rust, fungus, mildew; dry rot; canker, cankerworm; cancer; torpedo; viper etc. (evil doer) 913; demon etc. 980.    [Science of poisons] toxicology.    ... show more

A thorny stem or twig.

Eurasian rose with prickly stems and fragrant leaves and bright pink flowers followed by scarlet hips.

synonyms: briar, eglantine, Rosa eglanteria, sweetbriar, sweetbrier.

Dutch: egelantier
Polish: róża szkocka, róża rdzawa

A very prickly woody vine of the eastern United States growing in tangled masses having tough round stems with shiny leathery leaves and small greenish flowers followed by clusters of inedible shiny black berries.

synonyms: briar, bullbrier, catbrier, greenbrier, horse-brier, horse brier, Smilax rotundifolia.

Evergreen treelike Mediterranean shrub having fragrant white flowers in large terminal panicles and hard woody roots used to make tobacco pipes.

synonyms: briar, Erica arborea, tree heath.

Polish: wrzosiec drzewiasty