Burnet

UK: /bəˈnɛt/, /ˈbɜːnɪt/ US: (bər net′, bûr′nit)

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Burnet / bəˈnɛt ˈbɜːnɪt/ noun

1. Gilbert. 1643–1715, Scottish bishop and historian, who played a prominent role in the Glorious Revolution (1688–89); author of The History of My Own Times (2 vols: 1724 and 1734)
2. Sir (Frank) Macfarlane ( məkˈfɑːlən ). 1899–1985, Australian physician and virologist, who shared a Nobel prize for physiology or medicine in 1960 with P. B. Medawar for their work in immunology
3. Thomas. 1635–1715, English theologian who tried to reconcile science and religion in his Sacred Theory of the Earth (1680–89)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bur•net  (bər net′, bûr′nit), n. 

1. Plant Biology any of several plants belonging to the genera Sanguisorba and Poterium, of the rose family, having pinnate leaves and dense heads of small flowers.

• Middle French burnete, variant of brunete (see brunet); so called from its hue
• Middle English 1225–75

Bur•net  (bər net′, bûr′nit), n. 

Sir (Frank) Mac•far•lane  (mək fär′lən), 1899–1985, Australian physician: Nobel prize for physiology 1960.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

burnet / ˈbɜːnɪt/ noun

1. a plant of the rosaceous genus Sanguisorba (or Poterium), such as S. minor (or P. sanguisorba) (salad burnet), which has purple-tinged green flowers and leaves that are sometimes used for salads
2. burnet rose, Scotch rose ⇒ a very prickly Eurasian rose, Rosa pimpinellifolia, with white flowers and purplish-black fruits
3. a moth of the genus Zygaena, having red-spotted dark green wings and antennae with enlarged tips: family Zygaenidae

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French burnete, variant of brunete dark brown (see brunette); so called from the colour of the flowers of some of the plants