barbarous

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English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Late Middle English, from Latin barbarus (foreigner, savage), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, foreign, strange).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈbɑː(ɹ)bəɹəs/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Adjective

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barbarous (comparative more barbarous, superlative most barbarous)

  1. (said of language) Not classical or pure.
    • 1880, Charles Wells, “Introduction to the second edition”, in James Redhouse, Redhouse's Turkish Dictionary, page vii:
      The original Turkish tongue was somewhat barbarous, but extremely forcible and concise when spoken.
  2. Uncivilized, uncultured.
    • 1562, Wylliam Turner [i.e., William Turner], “Of the Herbe Called in Latin Irio”, in The Second Parte of Guilliam Turners Herball⸝ [], Cologne: [] Arnold Birckman, →OCLC, folio 23, recto:
      [T]he poticaries and barbarus wryters call it [the iris] Irios in the genetiue caſe.
    • 1741, I[saac] Watts, The Improvement of the Mind: Or, A Supplement to the Art of Logick: [], London: [] James Brackstone, [], →OCLC:
      It is the remark of an ingenious writer, should a barbarous Indian, who had never seen a palace or a ship, view their separate and disjointed parts, and observe the pillars, doors, windows, cornices and turrets of the one, or the prow and stern, the ribs and masts, the ropes and shrouds, the sails and tackle of the other, he would be able to form but a very lame and dark idea of either of those excellent and useful inventions.
    • 1923, Walter de la Mare, Seaton's Aunt:
      I felt vaguely he was a sneak, and remained quite unmollified by advances on his side, which, in a boy's barbarous fashion, unless it suited me to be magnanimous, I haughtily ignored.
  3. Mercilessly or impudently violent or cruel, savage.
  4. Like a barbarian, especially in sound; noisy, dissonant.

Derived terms

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Translations

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