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In lithic reduction, a burin is a special type of lithic flake with a chisel-like edge which may have been used for engraving and carving wood or bone. Burins exhibit a feature called a burin spall, in which a small flake is struck obliquely from the edge of the burin flake in order to form the graving edge. Burin usage is diagnostic of Upper Palaeolithic cultures in Europe, but has also been identified in North American cultural assemblages.
In modern usage, a burin is also a steel cutting tool used by engravers.
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