barbarian
/bɑɹˈbɛəɹ.i.ən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.28 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An uncivilized or uncultured person, originally compared to the hellenistic Greco-Roman civilisation; usually associated with senseless violence and self-harm or other such shows of brute force and lack of mental faculty.
noun
A brutish warrior depicted in sword and sorcery and other fantasy works; typically clad in primitive furs or leather and usually favoring physical strength over intelligence while often possessing a bellicose temperament and disdain for laws.
noun
A cruel, savage, inhumane, brutal, violently aggressive person, particularly one who is unintelligent or dim-witted; one without pity or empathy.
Derogatory
Example Sentences
Etymology
Etymology tree Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros)bor. Latin barbarus Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Medieval Latin barbaria Medieval Latin barbarinusbor. Middle English barbarian English barbarian From Middle English barbarian, borrowed from Medieval Latin barbarinus (“Berber, pagan, foreigner”), from Latin barbaria (“foreign country”), from barbarus (“foreigner, savage”), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “foreign, non-Greek, strange”), possibly onomatopoeic (mimicking foreign languages, akin to English blah blah). Cognate to Sanskrit बर्बर (barbara, “barbarian, non-Aryan, stammering, blockhead”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: barbarian, barbarinus, barbaria, βάρβαρος
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /bɑɹˈbɛəɹ.i.ən/
- British English: /bɑː(ɹ)ˈbɛə.ɹi.ən/