Etymology dictionary
banish (v.) — barley (n.)
banish (v.)
late 14c., banischen, "to condemn (someone) by proclamation or edict to leave the country, to outlaw by political or judicial authority," from banniss-, extended stem of Old French banir "announce, proclaim; levy; forbid; banish, proclaim an outlaw" (12c., Modern French bannir), from a Germanic source (perhaps Frankish *bannjan "to order or prohibit under penalty"), from Proto-Germanic *bannan (see ban (v.)). The French word might be by way of Medieval Latin bannire, also from Germanic (compare bandit). The general sense of "send or drive away, expel" is from c. 1400. Related: Banished; banishing.
banishment (n.)
"act of banishing; state of being banished," c. 1500, from banish + -ment. Earlier was banishing (mid-15c.).
banister (n.)
1660s, unexplained corruption of baluster (q.v.). As late as 1848 it was identified as a vulgar term, but it is now accepted. Another 17c. corrupted form is barrester. The surname Bannister is unrelated, from Old French banastre "basket," hence, "basket-maker."
banjo (n.)
"guitar-like musical instrument with a circular body covered in front with stretched parchment, like a tambourine," 1764, in various spellings (Thomas Jefferson has banjar), American English, usually described as of African origin, probably akin to Bantu mbanza, name of an instrument resembling a banjo. The word has been influenced by colloquial pronunciation of bandore (1560s in English), a 16c. lute-like stringed instrument, from Portuguese bandurra, from Latin pandura (see mandolin). The origin and the influence might be the reverse of what is here described. Related: Banjoist. The banjo-clock (1891) was so called for its shape.
bank (v.1)
"to act as a banker," 1727, from bank (n.1). As "to deposit in a bank" from 1833. Figurative sense of "to rely on" (i.e. "to put money on") is from 1884, U.S. colloquial. Related: Banked; banking; bankable.
bank (n.2)
"natural earthen incline bordering a body of water," c. 1200, from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse *banki, Old Danish banke "sandbank," from Proto-Germanic *bankon "slope," cognate with *bankiz "shelf" (see bench (n.)). As "rising ground in a sea or rover, shoal," from c. 1600. As "bench for rowers in an ancient galley," 1590s.
There probably was an Old English cognate but it is not attested in surviving documents. The nasalized form likely is a variant of Old Norse bakki "(river) bank, ridge, mound; cloud bank," cognate with Swedish backe, Danish bakke "hill, rising ground."
banking (n.)
"the business of a banker," 1735, verbal noun from bank (v.1).
bank (v.3)
originally in billiards, "to make (the cue ball) touch the cushion (bank) of the table before touching another ball," by 1909, from a specialized sense of bank (n.2). The verb probably was abstracted from bank-shot (n.), which is attested by 1889. Related: Banked; banking.
bank (n.1)
"financial institution," late 15c., originally "money-dealer's counter or shop," from Old Italian banca and also from French banque (itself from the Italian word), both meaning "table," from a Germanic source (such as Old High German bank "bench, moneylender's table"), from Proto-Germanic *bankiz- "shelf," *bankon- (see bank (n.2)). The etymological notion is of the moneylender's exchange table.
As "institution for receiving and lending money" from 1620s. In games of chance, "the sum of money held by the proprietor or one who plays against the rest," by 1720. Bank holiday is from 1871, though the tradition is as old as the Bank of England. To cry all the way to the bank was coined 1956 by U.S. pianist Liberace, after a Madison Square Garden concert that was panned by critics but packed with patrons.
bank (v.2)
1580s, "to form a bank or slope or rise," from bank (n.2). The meaning "rise in banks" is by 1870. That of "ascend," as of an incline, is from 1892. In aeronautics, from 1911. Related: Banked; banking.
banker (n.)
"keeper of a bank," 1530s, agent noun formed from bank (n.1), possibly modeled on French banquier (16c.).
bankroll (n.)
"roll of bank notes," 1887, from bank (n.1) + roll (n.). The verb is attested from 1928. Related: Bankrolled; bankrolling.
bankrupt (adj.)
"in the state of one unable to pay just debts or meet obligations," 1560s, from Italian banca rotta, literally "a broken bench," from banca "moneylender's shop," literally "bench" (see bank (n.1)) + rotta "broken, defeated, interrupted" from (and in English remodeled on) Latin rupta, fem. past participle of rumpere "to break" (see rupture (n.)). Said to have been so called from an old custom of breaking the bench of bankrupts, but the allusion probably is figurative. The modern figurative (non-financial) sense in English is from 1580s. As a noun, "insolvent person," from 1530s.
bankrupt (v.)
"make insolvent," 1550s, from bankrupt (adj.). Related: Bankrupted; bankrupting.
bankruptcy (n.)
1700, "the breaking up of a business due to its inability to pay obligations," from bankrupt, "probably on the analogy of insolvency, but with -t erroneously retained in spelling, instead of being merged in the suffix ...." [OED]. Figurative use is attested from 1761. Earlier words for it (late 16c.-17c.) were bankrupting, bankruption, bankrupture, bankruptship.
banlieue (n.)
French word for "suburbs, outskirts, outlying precincts of a town or city," 13c., from Vulgar Latin *banleuca, from Germanic *ban (see ban (n.1)) + leuca "a league" (of distance, in Medieval Latin, "indefinite extent of territory;" see league (n.2)). So, originally, "area around a town within which the bans — rules and proclamations of that place — were in force; territory outside the walls but within the legal jurisdiction." German had a similar formation, bann-meile (see mile (n.)), in the same sense; and compare Middle English bane cruces "crosses marking the boundary of territory subject to the edicts or laws of a certain ruler."
bann (n.)
in phrase banns of marriage, an alternative spelling of ban (n.); see banns.
banns (n.)
"proclamation or notice given in a church of an intended marriage," mid-15c. (late 12c. in Anglo-Latin), from Old English bannan "to summon, command, proclaim" (see ban (v.)). Also probably partly from Old French ban "announcement, proclamation, banns, authorization," from Frankish *ban or some other Germanic cognate of the Old English word. They were made part of ecclesiastic legislation 1215 by the fourth Lateran council.
banner (n.)
c. 1200, "piece of cloth attached to the upper end of a pole or staff," from Old French baniere "flag, banner, standard" (12c., Modern French bannière), from Late Latin bandum "standard," borrowed from Frankish or another West Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *bandwa- "identifying sign, banner, standard," also "company under a banner" (source also of Gothic bandwa "a sign"), from suffixed form of PIE root *bha- (1) "to shine."
Formerly the standard of a king, lord, or knight, behind which his followers marched to war and to which they rallied in battle. The figurative sense of "anything displayed as a profession of principles" is from early 14c. Of newspaper headlines that stream across the top of the page, from 1913.
banneret (n.)
c. 1300, an order of knighthood, originally in reference to one who could lead his men into battle under his own banner (q.v.). Later it meant one who received rank for valiant deeds done in the king's presence in battle. Also "a small banner" (c. 1300, also bannerette).
bannock (n.)
"thick flat cake, bread baked on the hearth or under ashes," Old English bannuc, from Gaelic bannach "a cake," which is perhaps a loan-word from Latin panicium, from panis "bread" (from PIE root *pa- "to feed").
banquet (v.)
"to feast," c. 1500, from banquet (n.). Related: Banqueted; banqueting.
banquet (n.)
late 15c., "feast, sumptuous entertainment," from Old French banquet "feast," earlier simply "small bench," from Old Italian banchetto, diminutive of banco "bench," variant of banca "bench," which is from a Germanic source (see bench (n.)). Apparently, etymologically, "a snack eaten on a bench" (rather than at table), hence "a slight repast between meals;" if so, the meaning has drifted.
banquette (n.)
"raised platform in a fortification," 1620s, from French banquette (15c.), from Italian banchetta, diminutive of banca "bench, shelf," which is from Germanic (see bank (n.1)). A doublet of banquet.
banshee (n.)
in Irish folklore, a type of female fairy believed to foretell deaths by singing in a mournful, unearthly voice, 1771, from phonetic spelling of Irish bean sidhe "female of the Elves," from bean "woman" (from PIE root *gwen- "woman") + Irish sidhe (Gaelic sith) "fairy" or sid "fairy mound" (from PIE root *sed- (1) "to sit"). Sidhe sometimes is confused with sithe, genitive of sith "peace."
banting (n.)
system for weight loss through diet control, named for William Banting (1797-1878), the English undertaker who invented it, tested it himself, and promoted it in his 1863 booklet "Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public." Although the word is a surname, it was treated as a verbal noun in -ing. ("She is banting"). It consisted of eating lean meats and abstaining from fats, starches, and sugars.
bantam (n.)
common name for very small varieties of the domestic hen, 1749, after Bantam, former Dutch residency in Java, from which the fowl were said to have been first imported. The extension to "small person" is by 1837. As a light weight class in boxing, it is attested from 1884, probably extended from the birds, which are small but aggressive and bred for fighting. The Indonesian Bantam, also called Banten, has a name of unknown origin, probably from a local language.
banter (v.)
"attack with good-humored jokes and jests," 1670s, origin uncertain; said by Swift to be a word from London street slang. Related: Bantered; bantering. The noun, "good-humored ridicule," is from 1680s.
Bantu
1862, applied to an equatorial and southern African language group in the 1850s by German linguist Wilhelm Heinrich Immanuel Bleek (1827-1875), from native Ba-ntu "mankind," from ba-, plural prefix, + ntu "a man, person." Bantustan in a South African context is from 1949.
banyan (n.)
also banian, "Indian fig tree," 1630s, so called in reference to a specific tree at Gombroon (modern Bandar Abbas) on the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf, near which the Hindu merchants known as banians had built a pagoda. The word is from Gujarati vaniyo "a man of the trading caste," from Sanskrit vanija "merchant."
The banians, based in Bombay and elsewhere, were great traders who trafficked from interior Asia to Africa. The tree develops roots from branches; these and the broad shade of its crown made them natural market places. The banians also were noted as rigorous abstainers from flesh-eating and for their reverence for all animal life, hence banian-hospital (1809) where worn-out domestic animals were cared for.
banzai (interj.)
Japanese war-cry, 1893, literally "(may you live) ten thousand years," originally a greeting addressed to the emperor, from ban "ten thousand" + sai "year."
baobab (n.)
large tropical African tree (later transplanted and naturalized in the East and West Indies), 1630s, from Medieval Latin bahobab (1590s), apparently from a central African language.
Baphomet
name of the idol which the Templars were accused of worshipping, regarded as a corruption of Mahomet (see Muhammad), "a name which took strange shapes in the Middle Ages" [Century Dictionary]. Related: Baphometic.
baptise (v.)
chiefly British English spelling of baptize; for spelling, see -ize. Related: Baptised; baptising.
baptism (n.)
"initiatory sacrament of the Christian faith, consisting in immersion in or application of water by an authorized administrator," c. 1300, bapteme, from Old French batesme, bapteme "baptism" (11c., Modern French baptême), from Latin baptismus, from Greek baptismos, noun of action from baptizein (see baptize). The -s- was restored in late 14c.
The signification, qualifications, and methods of administration have been much debated. The figurative sense of "any ceremonial ablution as a sign of purification, dedication, etc." is from late 14c. Old English used fulluht in this sense (John the Baptist was Iohannes se Fulluhtere).
Phrase baptism of fire "a soldier's first experience of battle" (1857) translates French baptême de feu; the phrase originally was ecclesiastical Greek baptisma pyros and meant "the grace of the Holy Spirit as imparted through baptism;" later it was used of martyrdom, especially by burning.
baptismal (adj.)
"pertaining to baptism," 1640s, from baptism + -al (1). Related: Baptismally.
baptist (n.)
c. 1200, "one who baptizes," also (with capital B-) a title of John, the forerunner of Christ; see baptize + -ist. As "member of a Protestant sect that believes in adult baptism upon profession of faith," generally by full immersion (with capital B-), attested from 1654; their opponents called them anabaptists (see Anabaptist).
baptistry (n.)
"part of a church (or separate building) set aside for baptisms," c. 1300, from Old French baptisterie and directly from Medieval Latin; see baptism + -ery.
baptize (v.)
"to administer the rite of baptism to," c. 1300, from Old French batisier "be baptized; baptize; give a name to" (11c.), from Latin baptizare, from Greek baptizein "immerse, dip in water," also figuratively, "be over one's head" (in debt, etc.), "to be soaked (in wine);" in Christian use, "baptize." This is from baptein "to dip, steep, dye, color," which is perhaps from PIE root *gwabh- (1) "to dip, sink." Christian baptism originally was a full immersion. Related: Baptized; baptizing.
Baqubah
city in Iraq, from Arabic baya 'kuba "Jacob's house."
bar (n.4)
unit of pressure, coined 1903 from Greek baros "weight," which is related to barys "heavy" (from PIE root *gwere- (1) "heavy").
bar (n.2)
"tavern," 1590s, so called in reference to the bars of the barrier or counter over which drinks or food were served to customers (see bar (n.1)).
bar (n.3)
"whole body of lawyers, the legal profession," 1550s, a sense which derives ultimately from the railing that separated benchers from the hall in the Inns of Court (see bar (n.1)). Students who had attained a certain standing were "called" to it to take part in the important exercises of the house. After c. 1600, however, this was popularly assumed to mean the bar in a courtroom, the wooden railing marking off the area around the judge's seat, where prisoners stood for arraignment and where a barrister (q.v.) stood to plead. As the place where the business of court was done, bar in this sense had become synonymous with court by early 14c.
bar (v.)
c. 1300, "to fasten (a gate, etc.) with a bar," from bar (n.1); sense of "to obstruct, prevent" is recorded by 1570s. Expression bar none "without exception" is recorded from 1866.
bar (n.1)
late 12c., "stake or rod of iron used to fasten a door or gate," from Old French barre "beam, bar, gate, barrier" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *barra "bar, barrier," which some suggest is from Gaulish *barros "the bushy end" [Gamillscheg, etc.], but OED regards this as "discredited" because it "in no way suits the sense." Welsh bar "a bar, rail," Irish barra "a bar, spike" are said to be from English; German Barre, Danish barre, Russian barŭ are from Medieval Latin or Romanic.
The general sense of "anything which obstructs, hinders, or impedes" is from 1530s. Of soap, by 1833; of candy, by 1906 (the process itself dates to the 1840s), both from resemblance of shape. The meaning "bank of sand across a harbor or river mouth" is from 1580s, probably so called because it was an obstruction to navigation.
Bar graph is attested from 1925. Bar code first recorded 1963. Behind bars "in prison" is attested by 1934, American English.
barring (n.)
late 14c., "act of fastening with a bar," verbal noun from bar (v.). The meaning "exclusion" is from 1630s. As a preposition, "excepting, excluding," it is from late 15c. The schoolhouse prank of barring out the teacher was so called by 1728.
Barabbas
biblical masc. proper name, Greek Barabbas, from Aramaic (Semitic) barabba, "son of the father," or "son of the master." In Hebrew, it would be ben abh. In the Crucifixion story, the name of the prisoner freed instead of Jesus at the crowd's insistence.
barb (v.)
late 15c., "to clip, mow" (a sense now archaic or obsolete); see barb (n.). The meaning "to fit or furnish with barbs" is from 1610s. Related: Barbed; barbing.
barb (n.)
late 14c., "barb of an arrow," from Old French barbe "beard, beard-like appendage" (11c.), from Latin barba "beard," from Proto-Italic *farfa- "beard," which might be from a common PIE root *bhardhā- "beard" (source also of Old Church Slavonic brada, Russia boroda, Lithuanian barzda, Old Prussian bordus), but according to de Vaan the vowel "rather points to a non-IE borrowing into the European languages."
Barbados
easternmost island of the West Indies, probably from Portuguese las barbadas "the bearded;" the island so called because vines or moss hung densely from its trees, or else for banyan trees. Related: Barbadian (1732).
barbarity (n.)
1560s, "want of civilization," from Latin barbarus (see barbarian (n.)) + -ity. The meaning "savage cruelty, inhuman conduct" is recorded from 1680s.
barbarous (adj.)
c. 1400, "uncivilized, uncultured, ignorant," from Latin barbarus "strange, foreign, barbarous," from Greek barbaros "foreign, uncivilized" (see barbarian (n.)). The meaning "not Greek or Latin" (of words or language) is from c. 1500; that of "savagely cruel" is from 1580s. Related: Barbarously; barbarousness.
barbarize (v.)
1640s, "speak or write like a barbarian," also "make barbarous," from Late Latin barbarizare, from Greek barbarizein "to do as a foreigner does," from barbaros "foreign, rude" (see barbarian (n.)). The meaning "corrupt a language by departing from standards" is from 1728. Related: Barbarized; barbarizing; barbarization.
barbaric (adj.)
late 15c., "uncultured, uncivilized, unpolished," from French barbarique (15c.), from Latin barbaricus "foreign, strange, outlandish," from Greek barbarikos "like a foreigner," from barbaros "foreign, rude" (see barbarian (n.)). The meaning "pertaining to or characteristic of barbarians" is from 1660s. Related: Barbarically.
barbarism (n.)
mid-15c., "uncivilized or rude nature, ignorance or want of culture," from French barbarisme "barbarism of language" (13c.), from Latin barbarismus, from Greek barbarismos "foreign speech," from barbarizein "to do as a foreigner does," from barbaros (see barbarian (n.) ).
Only of speech in Greek, Latin, and French; the sense extension to "uncivilized condition" took place in English. It is in English from 1570s as "offense against purity or style of language" (originally the use of foreign words in Latin and Greek); the meaning "an expression or word not in accord with the proper usage of a language" is from 1580s.
Barbara
fem. proper name, from Latin, fem. of barbarus "strange, foreign, barbarous," from Greek barbaros (see barbarian (n.)). For women, unlike men, the concept of "alien" presumably could be felt as "exotic" and thus make an appealing name. Popularized as a Christian name by the legend of Saint Barbara, early 4c. martyr, whose cult flourished from 7c. The common Middle English form was Barbary. A top 10 name in popularity for girls born in the U.S. between 1927 and 1958.
Barbary
c. 1300, "foreign lands" (especially non-Christian lands), from Latin barbaria "foreign country," from barbarus "strange, foreign" (see barbarian (n.)). The meaning "Saracen nations on coastal North Africa" is attested from 1590s, via French (Old French barbarie), from Arabic Barbar, Berber, ancient Arabic name for the inhabitants of North Africa beyond Egypt.
Perhaps a native name, perhaps an Arabic word, from barbara "to babble confusedly," but this might be ultimately from Greek barbaria. "The actual relations (if any) of the Arabic and Gr[eek] words cannot be settled; but in European langs. barbaria, Barbarie, Barbary, have from the first been treated as identical with L. barbaria, Byzantine Gr[eek] barbaria land of barbarians" [OED].
barbarian (adj.)
mid-14c., "foreign, of another nation or culture," from Medieval Latin barbarinus (see barbarian (n.)). The meaning "of or pertaining to savages, rude, uncivilized" is from 1590s.
barbarian (n.)
early 15c., in reference to classical history, "a non-Roman or non-Greek," earlier barbar (late 14c.) "non-Roman or non-Greek person; non-Christian; person speaking a language different from one's own," from Medieval Latin barbarinus (source of Old French barbarin "Berber, pagan, Saracen, barbarian"), from Latin barbarus "strange, foreign, barbarous," from Greek barbaros "foreign, strange; ignorant," from PIE root *barbar- echoic of unintelligible speech of foreigners (compare Sanskrit barbara- "stammering," also "non-Aryan," Latin balbus "stammering," Czech blblati "to stammer").
Greek barbaroi (plural noun) meant "all that are not Greek," but especially the Medes and Persians; originally it was not entirely pejorative, but its sense became moreso after the Persian wars. The Romans (technically themselves barbaroi) took up the word and applied it to tribes or nations which had no Greek or Roman accomplishments.
Also in Middle English (c. 1400) "native of the Barbary coast;" meaning "rude, wild person" is from 1610s. Occasionally in 19c. English distinguished from savage (n.) as being a step closer to civilization. Sometimes, in reference to Renaissance Italy, "a non-Italian." It also was used to translate the usual Chinese word of contempt for foreigners.
barbecue (n.)
1690s, "framework for grilling meat, fish, etc.," from American Spanish barbacoa, from Arawakan (Haiti) barbakoa "framework of sticks set upon posts," the raised wooden structure the West Indians used to either sleep on or cure meat.
The sense of "outdoor feast of roasted meat or fish as a social entertainment" is from 1733; the modern popular noun sense of "grill for cooking over an open fire" is from 1931.
barbecue (v.)
"to dry or roast on a gridiron," 1660s, from the source of barbecue (n.). Related: Barbecued; barbecuing.
barbed wire (n.)
also barb wire, "fencing wire with sharp edges or points," 1863, American English; see barb (n.) + wire (n.). Originally for the restraint of animals.
barbell (n.)
exercise device, 1870, from bar (n.1) + ending from dumb-bell.
barber (v.)
"to shave and dress the hair," c.1600, from barber (n.). Related: Barbered; barbering.
barber (n.)
"one whose occupation is to shave the beard and cut and dress the hair," c. 1300, from Anglo-French barbour (attested as a surname from early 13c.), from Old French barbeor, barbieor (13c., Modern French barbier, which has a more restricted sense than the English word), from Vulgar Latin *barbatorem, from Latin barba "beard" (see barb (n.)).
Originally also regular practitioners of minor surgery, they were restricted to hair-cutting, blood-letting, and dentistry under Henry VIII. The barber's pole (1680s) is in imitation of the ribbon used to bind the arm of one who has been bled.
barber-shop (n.)
also barbershop, 1570s, from barber + shop (n.). Earlier in same sense was barbery (c. 1500). Barber-shop in reference to close harmony male vocal quartets is attested from 1910; the custom of barbers keeping a musical instrument in their shops so waiting customers could entertain themselves is an old one, but the musical product formerly had a low reputation and barber's music (c. 1660) was "wretched, poorly performed music."
Barbie
1959, trademark name (reg. U.S.) of a popular line of dolls. Supposedly named after the daughter of its creator, U.S. businesswoman Ruth Handler (1916-2002); see Barbara.
barbican (n.)
"outer fortification of a city or castle," mid-13c., from Old French barbacane "exterior fortification" (12c.), a general Romanic word, said to be ultimately from Arabic or Persian (compare bab-khanah "gate-house"); according to Watkins from Old Iranian compound *pari-varaka-, from *pari- "around" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "in front of, around") + *varaka-, from PIE root *wer- (4) "to cover."
barbiturate (n.)
1928 (morphine barbiturate is from 1918), with chemical ending -ate (3) + barbituric (1865), from German barbitur in Barbitursäure "barbituric acid," coined 1863 by chemist Adolf von Baeyer. The reason for the name is unknown; some suggest it is from the woman's name Barbara, others that it is perhaps from Latin barbata, in Medieval Latin usnea barbata, literally "bearded moss." The second element is because it was obtained from uric acid. Related: Barbitol.
Barcelona
city in Spain, said to have been named for Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca, who is supposed to have founded it 3c. B.C.E.
bard (n.)
"ancient Celtic minstrel-poet," mid-15c., from Scottish, from Old Celtic bardos "poet, singer," from Celtic *bardo-, possibly from PIE *gwredho- "he who makes praises," suffixed form of root *gwere- (2) "to favor."
In historical times, a term of great respect among the Welsh, but one of contempt among the Scots (who considered them itinerant troublemakers). Subsequently idealized by Scott in the more ancient sense of "lyric poet, singer." Poetic use of the word in English is from Greek bardos, Latin bardus, both from Gaulish.
bardic (adj.)
"pertaining to or of the nature of a bard or bards," 1775, from bard + -ic.
bardolatry (n.)
"worship of Shakespeare" (the "Bard of Avon" since 1789), 1901, from bard + -latry "worship of," with connective -o-.
bare (adj.)
Old English bær "naked, uncovered, unclothed," from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (source also of German bar, Old Norse berr, Dutch baar), from PIE *bhoso- "naked" (source also of Armenian bok "naked;" Old Church Slavonic bosu, Lithuanian basas "barefoot"). The meaning "sheer, absolute" (c. 1200) is from the notion of "complete in itself."
barely (adv.)
Old English bærlice "openly, clear, public;" see bare (adj.) + -ly (2). The meaning "only just, no more than," is recorded from late 15c. In Middle English it also could mean "solely, exclusively."
bareness (n.)
"quality or condition of being bare" in any sense, early 15c., from bare (adj.) + -ness.
bare (v.)
"make bare, uncover," Old English barian, from bare (adj.). Related: Bared; baring.
bareback (adj.)
also bare-back, "riding or performing on an unsaddled ('bare-backed') horse," 1560s, from bare (adj.) + back (n.).
barefaced (adj.)
1580s, "with face uncovered or shaven;" see bare (adj.) + face (n.). Thus, "unconcealed" (c. 1600), and, in a bad sense, "shameless, audacious" (1670s). Compare effrontery. The half-French bare-vis (adj.) conveyed the same sense in Middle English. Related: Barefacedly.
barefoot (adj.)
"without shoes and stockings," Old English bærfot; see bare (adj.) + foot (n.). Similar compounds in other Germanic languages.
The parody of sexist attitudes or culture expressed by the phrase barefoot and pregnant dates to 1943; as barefooted and pregnant attested from at least 1938, in Arthur Hertzler's best-selling "Horse and Buggy Doctor," about his life as a country doctor in Kansas: "Some vulgar person has said that when the wife is kept barefooted and pregnant there are no divorces."
bare-handed (adj.)
also barehanded, "with uncovered hands," mid-15c., from bare (adj.) + -handed.
bare-headed (adj.)
"with the head uncovered," 1520s, from bare (adj.) + -headed.
barf (v.)
"to vomit or retch,"1960, American English slang, probably imitative. Also as a noun. Related: Barfed; barfing. Barf bag "air sickness pouch" is attested from 1966.
barfly (n.)
"habitual drunkard," 1910, from bar (n.2) + fly (n.).
barge (n.)
early 14c., "seagoing vessel of moderate size with sails," from Old French barge "boat, ship," Old Provençal barca, from Medieval Latin barga, perhaps from Celtic, or perhaps from Latin *barica, from Greek baris "Egyptian boat," from Coptic bari "small boat."
From late 14c. as "river craft; barge used on state occasions; raft for ferrying;" the meaning "flat-bottomed freight boat" dates from late 15c. In former times also "a magnificently adorned, elegant boat of state," for royalty, magistrates, etc. (1580s).
barge (v.)
"to journey by barge," 1590s, from barge (n.). The form barge into and the sense of "crash heavily into," in reference to the rough handling of barges, are attested by 1898. Related: Barged; barging.
bargain (n.)
mid-14c., "business transaction or agreement; negotiations, dealing," also "that which is acquired by bargaining," from Old French bargaine "business, trade, transaction, deal," from bargaignier (see bargain (v.)).
The meaning "article priced for special sale, something bought or sold at a low price" is from 1899; a bargain basement (1899) originally was a basement floor in a store where bargains were displayed. The phrase into the bargain "over and above what was stipulated," hence "moreover," is from 1630s.
bargain (v.)
c. 1400, "engage in business transactions, discuss or arrange terms of a transaction; to vend or sell," from Old French bargaignier "to haggle over the price" (12c., Modern French barguigner), perhaps from Frankish *borganjan "to lend" or some other Germanic source, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *borgan "to pledge, lend, borrow" (source also of Old High German borgen; Old English borgian; from PIE root *bhergh- (1) "to hide, protect;" compare borrow).
Diez and others suggest that the French word comes from Late Latin barca "a barge," because it "carries goods to and fro." There are difficulties with both suggestions. Related: Bargained; bargaining. To bargain for "arrange for beforehand" is from 1801.
bargeman (n.)
"man employed on a barge," mid-15c., from barge (n.) + man (n.).
bariatric (adj.)
"of or pertaining to obesity," 1976, from Greek baros "weight, a weight, burden," related to barys "heavy" (from PIE root *gwere- (1) "heavy") + -iatric.
barista (n.)
"bartender in a coffee shop," as a purely English word in use by 1992, from Italian, where it is said to derive ultimately from English bar (n.2), as borrowed into Italian. The word is of generic gender and may be applied with equal accuracy to women and men (it is said that the typical barista in Italy is a man).
baritone (n.)
c. 1600, "male voice between tenor and bass," from Italian baritono, from Greek barytonos "deep-toned, deep-sounding," from barys "heavy, deep," also, of sound, "strong, deep, bass" (from PIE root *gwere- (1) "heavy") + tonos "tone," from PIE root *ten- "to stretch."
Technically, "ranging from lower A in bass clef to lower F in treble clef." The meaning "singer having a baritone voice" is from 1821. As a type of brass band instrument, it is attested from 1949. As an adjective, by 1729 in reference to the voice, 1854 of musical instruments (originally the concertina).
barium (n.)
1808, coined in Modern Latin by its discoverer, English chemist Sir Humphry Davy, because it was present in the mineral barytes "heavy spar" (barium sulphate), so named by Lavoisier from Greek barys "heavy" (from PIE root *gwere- (1) "heavy"). The metal is actually relatively light. With chemical ending -ium. Related: Baric.
bark (v.1)
"utter an abrupt, explosive cry" (especially of dogs), Middle English berken (c. 1200), bark (late 15c.), from Old English beorcan "to bark," from Proto-Germanic *berkan (source also of Old Norse berkja "to bark"), of echoic origin. Related: Barked; barking.
To bark at the moon "complain uselessly" is from 1650s. To bark up the wrong tree "mistake one's object, attack or pursue something other than what is intended" is U.S. colloquial, attested by 1832, from notion of hounds following the wrong scent.
bark (n.3)
dog sound, Old English beorc, from bark (v.). Paired and compared with bite (n.) at least since 1660s; the proverb is older: "Timid dogs bark worse than they bite" was in Latin (Canis timidus vehementius latrat quam mordet, Quintius Curtius).
bark (v.2)
"strip off the bark" (of a tree), 1540s, from bark (n.). Transferred sense "strip or rub off the skin" is from 1850. It also meant "kill a squirrel or other small animal by percussive force by shooting the bullet into the tree immediately below it," thus preserving the specimen intact (the technique is attested by 1828). Related: Barked; barking.
bark (n.1)
"tree skin, hard covering of plants," c. 1300, from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse börkr "bark," from Proto-Germanic *barkuz, which probably is related to birch and Low German borke. The native word was rind.
bark (n.2)
"any small vessel or ship," early 15c., from French barque "boat" (15c.), from Late Latin barca, which is probably cognate with Vulgar Latin *barica (see barge (n.)). The more precise sense of "three-masted ship fore-and-aft rigged on the mizzenmast" (17c.) often is spelled barque to distinguish it.
barkeep (n.)
"one who has charge of a bar in a tavern, etc.," 1846, probably short for barkeeper (1712); from bar (n.2) + agent noun of keep (v.).
barker (n.)
late 14c., "a dog;" late 15c., "noisy fellow;" agent noun from bark (v.). Specific sense of "loud assistant in an auction, store, or show" is from 1690s.
barley (n.)
hardy cereal plant, Old English bærlic, apparently originally an adjective, "of barley," from bere "barley" (from Proto-Germanic *bariz, *baraz) + -lic "body, like." The first element is related to Old Norse barr "barley," and cognate with Latin far (genitive farris) "coarse grain, meal" (see farina).