Present participle of burl; the act of removing burls from wood or cloth, or finishing a surface by eliminating nubs and rough spots.
From 'burl' with the present participle suffix '-ing.' The verb 'burl' comes from Middle English and possibly Old Norse, relating to removing knots or growths.
Traditional burling in textile mills was such a skilled trade that master burlers could identify different clothmakers by the pattern of their imperfections—like fingerprints in fabric.
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