bárbaro

See also: barbaro

Galician

Etymology

Attested since circa 1300. From Latin barbarus (“foreign, savage”), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “foreign, strange”), of onomatopoeic origin, mimicking the sound of foreign languages. Doublet of bravo, possibly.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbaɾβɐɾʊ]

Noun

bárbaro m (plural bárbaros)

1. barbarian
   • '1859, J. Domínguez d'Esquerdo, Coroas e cadeas do fidalgo povo galicián:

     ¿Galicia? ... ¿Ónd'stá? ¿Ónde vai a nosa fermosa e podente Galicia? ¿Ónde pára? ¿ónde? aquela casta d'héroes fartos qu'o mesmo tremaron as follas das súas coitelas diante das naceós veciñas, acoradas, escorrentadas, por os bárbaros e a mouramia

     Galicia? Where are you? What have become of our beauty a strong Galicia? Where it is now? Where that lineage of lavish heroes who waved their blades before the neighbouring nations, frightened, driven away by the barbarians and the Moors?

Adjective

bárbaro (feminine bárbara, masculine plural bárbaros, feminine plural bárbaras)

1. barbarian, uncivilised, uncultured
2. (informal) great, fantastic

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “barbaro”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “barbar”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “bárbaro”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “bárbaro”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “bárbaro”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin barbarus (“foreign, savage”), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “foreign, strange”), of onomatopoeic origin, mimicking the sound of foreign languages. Doublet of brabo and berbere.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbaʁ.ba.ɾu/ [ˈbaɦ.ba.ɾu]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbaʁ.ba.ɾu/ [ˈbaɦ.ba.ɾu]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈbaɾ.ba.ɾu/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈbaʁ.ba.ɾu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbaɻ.ba.ɾo/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbaɾ.bɐ.ɾu/ [ˈbaɾ.βɐ.ɾu]

• Hyphenation: bár‧ba‧ro

Adjective

bárbaro (feminine bárbara, masculine plural bárbaros, feminine plural bárbaras)

1. barbarian; uncivilised

   Synonyms: selvagem, incivilizado

2. wicked; evil; cruel

   Synonyms: mau, malvado, cruel, maldoso

3. (Brazil, slang) awesome; wicked; brilliant; excellent

Derived terms

• Bárbara
• barbaramente
• barbaria
• barbárie
• barbaridade
• barbarismo

Noun

bárbaro m (plural bárbaros, feminine bárbara, feminine plural bárbaras)

1. (historical) barbarian (member of peoples considered uncivilised by the Romans and Greeks)
2. barbarian (uncivilised person)
3. barbarian (a cruel and violent person)

   Synonym: bruto

Further reading

• “bárbaro”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2024

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin barbarus (“foreign, savage”), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “foreign, strange”), of onomatopoeic origin, mimicking the sound of foreign languages.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaɾbaɾo/ [ˈbaɾ.β̞a.ɾo]
• Rhymes: -aɾbaɾo
• Syllabification: bár‧ba‧ro

Adjective

bárbaro (feminine bárbara, masculine plural bárbaros, feminine plural bárbaras)

1. barbaric
2. (colloquial) enormous
3. (colloquial) stupendous
4. (colloquial) cool

Noun

bárbaro m (plural bárbaros, feminine bárbara, feminine plural bárbaras)

1. barbarian

Derived terms

• barbaridad

 

Related terms

• barbárico
• barbarie
• barbarizar

 

Further reading

• “bárbaro”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 23rd edition, Royal Spanish Academy, 2014 October 16