Barbie

See also: barbie and bărbie

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɑɹbi/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɑːbi/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)bi

Etymology 1

Barbara +‎ -ie

Proper noun

Barbie (plural Barbies)

1. A diminutive of the female given name Barbara.

Translations

diminutive of Barbara

• Arabic: بَارْبِي f (bārbī)
• Dutch: Babs, Babbe
• Esperanto: Barnjo
• Marathi: बार्बी f (bārbī)
• Polish: Basia (pl) f
• Russian: Ба́рби (ru) f (Bárbi), Ва́ря (ru) f (Várja) (diminutive of Варва́ра (Varvára))

Etymology 2

Named for Barbara Handler-Segal, daughter of Mattel co-founder Elliot Handler, in 1959.

Noun

Barbie [1]

Barbie (plural Barbies)

1. A tall, slender female fashion doll.
   • 1964, Young Children, volume 55, National Association for the Education of Young Children, page 10:

     They discourage their young children from engaging in rough-and-tumble play. One mother said, “I like Hai-Mei quiet. I like her playing Barbies, writing, and singing.”

   • 1968, Paul Krassner, editor, The Realist, volumes 84-93, Realist Association, page 68:

     Everything short of the toe-to-toe Truth and Love that comes from real confrontation of individual consciousness is just playing with Barbie dolls.

   • 1976, Across the Board, volumes 13-14, The Conference Board, page 20:

     Sarah, who is ten, says she doesn’t play with Barbies anymore, although she takes a certain scientific interest […] .

   • 2005, Linda Hoffman Kimball, Apple Pies & Promises, Cedar Fort,, →ISBN, page 51:

     Many of my feminist friends hate Barbie because they feel that she sends a terrible message to girls […]

2. (by extension, informal, derogatory) A beautiful but stupid or shallow young woman.

   Synonym: dolly

Coordinate terms

• Ken doll

Derived terms

• Barbenheimer
• Barbiesque
• Barbillion
• Barbiefication
• Barbie pink
• Barbie shipper

Translations

doll

• Arabic: بَارْبِي f (bārbī)
• Armenian: Բարբի (Barbi)
• Bulgarian: Барби (Barbi)
• Catalan: Barbie
• Cebuano: Barbie
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 芭比娃娃 (zh) (Bābǐ wáwá), 芭比 (zh) (Bābǐ)

• Czech: barbína (cs) f, Barbie
• Danish: Barbiedukke c, Barbie-dukke c, Barbie c
• Finnish: barbi (fi), Barbie
• French: Barbie (fr)
• Georgian: ბარბი (barbi)
• German: Barbie (de) f, Barbiepuppe f
• Greek: Μπάρμπι (el) (Bármpi)
• Hebrew: בַּרְבִּי (barbi)
• Hindi: बार्बी (bārbī)
• Hungarian: Barbie
• Italian: Barbie (it)
• Japanese: バービー (Bābī)
• Korean: 바비 (Babi)
• Lao: ບາຣ໌ບີ້ (bān bī)
• Latvian: Bārbija
• Lithuanian: Barbė
• Macedonian: ба́рбика f (bárbika), Барби (Barbi)
• Marathi: बार्बी f (bārbī)
• Polish: Barbie (pl) f
• Portuguese: Barbie
• Romanian: Barbie
• Russian: Ба́рби (ru) f (Bárbi)
• Serbo-Croatian: barbika (sh) f, Барби, Barbi (sh), Barbie
• Slovak: Barbie
• Slovene: Barbie
• Spanish: Barbie
• Swedish: barbiedocka (sv) c, barbie (sv) c, Barbie
• Tagalog: Barbie
• Thai: บาร์บี้
• Turkish: Barbie
• Ukrainian: Ба́рбі (Bárbi)
• Urdu: باربی (bārbī)
• Vietnamese: Barbie

a beautiful but stupid or shallow young woman

• Czech: barbína (cs) f
• Finnish: blondi (fi), bimbo (fi)
• Polish: lala (pl) f, lalka (pl) f, lalunia f
• Russian: ку́кла (ru) f (kúkla) (doll, puppet)
• Serbo-Croatian: barbika (sh) f

Anagrams

• Rabbie

German

Etymology

Borrowed from French Barbier.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

Barbie

1. a surname

   Klaus Barbie ― Klaus Barbie

Further reading

• “Barbie” in Duden online

Polish

Barbie

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English Barbie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbar.bi/
• Rhymes: -arbi
• Syllabification: Bar‧bie

Noun

Barbie f (indeclinable)

1. Barbie (tall, slender female fashion doll)

Further reading

• Barbie in Polish dictionaries at PWN