Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

barbican

/ˈbɑɹbɪkən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.65 in modern English

Syllables
bar-bi-can
IPA
/ˈbɑɹbɪkən/
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A tower at the entrance to a castle or fortified town.

noun

A fortress at the end of a bridge.

noun

An opening in the wall of a fortress through which the guns are levelled; a narrow loophole through which arrows and other missiles may be shot.

noun

A temporary wooden tower built for defensive purposes.

name

A neighbourhood in Plymouth, Devon, England (OS grid ref SX4854).

name

A neighbourhood and residential estate in the City of London, Greater London, England (OS grid ref TQ3281)

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Old French barbacane, of uncertain origin: compare Arabic بَرْبَخ (barbaḵ, “aqueduct, sewer”), and Persian بابخانه (bâb-xâne, “gatehouse”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈbɑɹbɪkən/
  • British English: /ˈbɑːbɪkən/

Inflected Forms

barbicans (plural) barbacan (alternative)

Derived Forms

barbicanage barbicaned

Phrases

porte cochère

Frequently Paired Words

bartisan portcullis porte cochère tollgate tollhouse

Synonyms

guardhouse balistraria arrowslit arrow slit arrow-hole loophole barbacan

Questions

How do you pronounce barbican?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɑɹbɪkən/.
What does barbican mean?
A tower at the entrance to a castle or fortified town.
Where does barbican come from?
It is traced to Old French.

How to pronounce barbican

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