Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

barrow

/ˈbæɹoʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.38 in modern English

Syllables
bar-row
IPA
/ˈbæɹoʊ/
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A mountain.

Obsolete

noun

A hill.

British usage

noun

A mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves.

noun

A heap of rubbish, attle, or other such refuse.

noun

A small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand.

British usage

noun

A wicker case in which salt is put to drain.

noun

A castrated boar.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English berwe, bergh, from Old English beorg (“mountain, hill, mound, barrow, burial place”), from Proto-West Germanic *berg, from Proto-Germanic *bergaz (“hill, mountain”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰérǵʰos (“hill”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to rise up, ascend; to be elevated, up high”). Doublet of berg and bergh. Cognates Cognate with Scots burrow (“mound, tumulus, barrow”), North Frisian Bārig, beerch, beeri, beerj, berag, berig, berri, bärj (“mountain”), Saterland Frisian Bierich, Bíerig, Bäirch (“mountain”), West Frisian berch (“mountain”), Cimbrian pèrge (“mountain”), Dutch berg (“mountain”), German Berg (“mountain”), German Low German Barg (“mountain”), Limburgish berg, Bärrech (“hill, mountain”), Luxembourgish Bierg (“mountain”), Mòcheno pèrg (“mountain”), Yiddish באַרג (barg, “mountain”), Danish bjerg (“mountain”), Elfdalian bjärr (“hill, mountain”), Faroese berg, bjarg (“cliff”), bjørg (“cliffs”), Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish berg (“mountain”); also Northern Luri برگ (berg, “mountain”), Polish brzeg (“bank, shore”), Russian бе́рег (béreg, “bank, shore”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *bʰerǵʰ-, berwe, beorg, *berg, *bergaz, *bʰérǵʰos

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈbæɹoʊ/
  • British English: /ˈbæɹəʊ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce barrow?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbæɹoʊ/.
What does barrow mean?
A mountain.
Where does barrow come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce barrow

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “barrow”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbæɹoʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “barrow”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “barrow” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.