n. a very prickly woody vine of eastern U.S. (Smilax rotundifolia) growing in tangled masses, having tough round stems with shiny leathery leaves and small greenish flowers followed by clusters of inedible shiny black berries.
Syn. -- bullbrier, greenbrier, horsebrier, brier, briar, Smilax rotundifolia. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ From Carry. ] 1. One who, or that which, carries or conveys; a messenger. [ 1913 Webster ]

The air which is but . . . a carrier of the sounds. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who is employed, or makes it his business, to carry goods for others for hire; a porter; a teamster. [ 1913 Webster ]

The roads are crowded with carriers, laden with rich manufactures. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mach.) That which drives or carries; as: (a) A piece which communicates to an object in a lathe the motion of the face plate; a lathe dog. (b) A spool holder or bobbin holder in a braiding machine. (c) A movable piece in magazine guns which transfers the cartridge to a position from which it can be thrust into the barrel. [ 1913 Webster ]

Carrier pigeon (Zool.), a variety of the domestic pigeon used to convey letters from a distant point to to its home. --
Carrier shell (Zool.), a univalve shell of the genus Phorus; -- so called because it fastens bits of stones and broken shells to its own shell, to such an extent as almost to conceal it. --
Common carrier (Law.) See under Common, a. [ 1913 Webster ]