barbarian

See also: barbarían

English

Etymology

From Middle English barbarian, borrowed from Medieval Latin barbarinus (“Berber, pagan, Saracen, barbarian”), 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”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bɑː(ɹ).ˈbɛə.ɹi.ən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /bɑɹ.ˈbɛəɹ.i.ən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛəɹiən

Adjective

barbarian (not comparable)

1. Relating to people, countries or customs perceived as uncivilized or inferior.

Synonyms

• barbaric
• barbarous

Translations

uncivilized

• Albanian: i paqytetëruar
• Arabic: هَمَجِيّ‎ (hamajiyy), مُتَوَحِّش‎ (ar) (mutawaḥḥiš)
• Armenian: բարբարոսական (hy) (barbarosakan)
• Belarusian: ва́рварскі (várvarski), ба́рбарскі (bárbarski), барбары́нскі (barbarýnski)
• Bulgarian: ва́рварски (bg) (várvarski)
• Catalan: bàrbar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 野蠻 (zh), 野蛮 (zh) (yěmán), 不文明 (bù wénmíng), 胡 (zh) (hú)

• Czech: barbarský (cs)
• Danish: barbar (da) c
• Dutch: barbaars (nl)
• Estonian: barbaarne
• Finnish: barbaarinen (fi), barbaarimainen (fi)
• French: barbare (fr)
• Galician: bárbaro
• Georgian: ბარბაროსი (barbarosi)
• German: barbarisch (de)
• Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros)

  Ancient: βάρβαρος (bárbaros)

• Hebrew: ברברי‎ (he) m (barbári)
• Hindi: बर्बर (hi) m (barbar)
• Hungarian: barbár (hu)
• Icelandic: barbarískur, villimannslegur
• Italian: barbaro (it) m
• Japanese: 野蛮な (ja) (やばんな, yaban na)

• Kyrgyz: варвар (ky) (varvar)
• Latvian: barbarisks
• Lithuanian: barbariškas
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: barbarisk

  Nynorsk: barbarisk

• Persian: بربری‎ (fa) (barbari)
• Polish: barbarzyński (pl)
• Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m
• Russian: ва́рварский (ru) (várvarskij)
• Sanskrit: बर्बर (sa) m (barbara)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: варварски m, барбарски m, дивљачки m

  Roman: varvarski (sh) m, barbarski (sh) m, divljački (sh) m

• Slovene: barbarski (sl)
• Sogdian: ܒܪܒܪܥܝܩ‎ (βarβarīk)
• Spanish: bárbaro (es)
• Swedish: barbarisk (sv)
• Turkish: barbar (tr)
• Ukrainian: ва́рварський (uk) (várvarsʹkyj)
• Vietnamese: dã man (vi) (野蠻)

Noun

barbarian (plural barbarians)

1. (historical) A non-Greek or a non-Roman.
2. An uncivilized or uncultured person, originally compared to the hellenistic Greco-Roman civilisation; often associated with fighting or other such shows of strength.
3. (derogatory) A person destitute of culture; a Philistine.
   • 1725, Anthony Blackwall, The Sacred Classics Defended And Illustrated:

     Shall a noble writer, and an inspired noble writer, be called a solecist, and barbarian, for giving a new turn to a word so agreeable to the analogy and genius of the Greek tongue?

4. (derogatory) Someone from a developing country or backward culture.
5. A warrior, clad in fur or leather, associated with sword and sorcery stories.
6. A cruel, savage, brutal person; one without pity or humanity.
   • 1712, Ambrose Philips, The Distrest Mother

     Thou fell barbarian.

7. (derogatory) A foreigner, especially with barbaric qualities as in the above definitions.

Synonyms

• (foreigner): alien, outlander, peregrine; see also Thesaurus:foreigner

Translations

a non-Greek or a non-Roman

• Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros)

  Ancient Greek: βάρβαρος m (bárbaros)

  Mycenaean Greek: 𐀞𐀞𐀫 m (pa-pa-ro)

• Polish: barbarzyńca (pl) m

uncivilized person

• Afrikaans: barbaar
• Albanian: barbar (sq) m
• Arabic: هَمَجِيّ‎ m (hamajiyy), بَرْبَرِيّ‎ m (barbariyy)
• Armenian: բարբարոս (hy) (barbaros)
• Azerbaijani: barbar
• Belarusian: ва́рвар m (várvar), ва́рварка f (várvarka), ба́рбар m (bárbar), ба́рбарка f (bárbarka), дзіку́н m (dzikún), дзіку́нка f (dzikúnka)
• Bulgarian: ва́рварин (bg) m (várvarin), ва́рварка f (várvarka), дива́к (bg) m (divák), дива́чка f (diváčka)
• Catalan: bàrbar (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 野蠻人 (zh), 野蛮人 (zh) (yěmánrén), 番子 (zh) (fānzi), 蠻人 (zh), 蛮人 (zh) (mánrén), 夷 (zh) (yí)

• Czech: barbar (cs) m, barbarka f
• Danish: barbar (da) c
• Dutch: barbaar (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: barbaro (eo)
• Estonian: barbar (et)
• Finnish: barbaari (fi), raakalainen (fi)
• French: barbare (fr) m or f
• Galician: bárbaro m, bárbara f
• Georgian: ბარბაროსი (barbarosi)
• German: Barbar (de) m, Barbarin f
• Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros)

  Ancient: βάρβαρος m (bárbaros)

• Hindi: बर्बर (hi) m (barbar)
• Hungarian: barbár (hu)
• Icelandic: barbari m
• Irish: barbarach m
• Italian: barbaro (it) m, barbara (it) f
• Japanese: 野蛮 (ja) (やばん, yaban), 野蛮人 (やばんじん, yabanjin), 蛮人 (ばんじん, banjin), 夷人 (いじん, ijin)
• Kazakh: варвар (varvar)
• Korean: 야만인(野蠻人) (ko) (yamanin) (in a modern or Western sense), 오랑캐 (ko) (orangkae) (in traditional East Asian contexts)

• Kyrgyz: варвар (ky) (varvar)
• Latin: barbarus (la) m, barbara f
• Latvian: barbars m
• Lithuanian: barbaras m
• Macedonian: варвар m (varvar), варварин m (varvarin), варварка f (varvarka)
• Norman: barbare m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: barbar m

  Nynorsk: barbar m

• Persian: بربر‎ (fa) (barbar)
• Polish: barbarzyńca (pl) m, barbarzynka f
• Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m, bárbara (pt) f
• Romanian: barbar (ro) m, barbară f, varvar m, varvară f
• Russian: ва́рвар (ru) m (várvar), ва́рварка (ru) f (várvarka), дика́рь (ru) m (dikárʹ), дика́рка (ru) f (dikárka)
• Sanskrit: बर्बर (sa) m (barbara), म्लेच्छ (sa) m (mleccha), दस्यु (sa) m (dasyu)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ба̀рбар m, ба̏рбарин m, ба̀рба̄рка f, варвар m, варварин m, варварка f, дѝвља̄к m, дивља̀киња f, дивља̀куша f

  Roman: bàrbar (sh) m, bȁrbarin m, bàrbārka (sh) f, varvar m, varvarin (sh) m, varvarka f, dìvljāk (sh) m, divljàkinja (sh) f, divljàkuša (sh) f

• Slovak: barbar m, barbarka f
• Slovene: barbar (sl) m, barbarka f
• Spanish: bárbaro (es) m, bárbara (es) f
• Swedish: barbar (sv) c
• Tajik: барбар (barbar)
• Turkish: barbar (tr)
• Ukrainian: ва́рвар m (várvar), ва́рварка f (várvarka), дику́н m (dykún), дику́нка f (dykúnka)
• Uzbek: barbar (uz), varvar (uz)
• Vietnamese: mọi (vi), rợ (vi)
• Welsh: barbariad m, anwariad m
• Yiddish: באַרבאַר‎ m (barbar)

derogatory term for someone from a developing country

• Armenian: բարբարոս (hy) (barbaros)
• Bulgarian: дива́к (bg) m (divák), дива́чка f (diváčka)
• Catalan: bàrbar (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 落後的人, 落后的人 (luòhòu de rén, literally “backward person”) (no equivalent exists)

• Dutch: barbaar (nl) m or f, primitieveling m, wilde (nl) m or f
• Finnish: mutiainen (fi)
• French: barbare (fr) m or f

• German: Barbar (de) m
• Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros), απολίτιστος (el) m (apolítistos)
• Hungarian: barbár (hu)
• Polish: barbarzyńca (pl) m
• Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m
• Russian: ва́рвар (ru) m (várvar), ва́рварка (ru) f (várvarka), дика́рь (ru) m (dikárʹ), дика́рка (ru) f (dikárka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ба̀рбар m, ба̀рба̄рка f, дѝвља̄к m, дивља̀киња f, дивља̀куша f

  Roman: bàrbar (sh) m, bàrbārka (sh) f, dìvljāk (sh) m, divljàkinja (sh) f, divljàkuša (sh) f

• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: barbar (tr)

warrior associated with Sword and Sorcery stories

• Catalan: bàrbar (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 野蠻人 (zh), 野蛮人 (zh) (yěmánrén)

• Dutch: barbaar (nl) m or f
• Finnish: barbaari (fi)
• French: barbare (fr) m or f
• Galician: bárbaro m
• German: Barbar (de) m

• Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros)
• Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m
• Russian: ва́рвар (ru) m (várvar)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: barbar (sv) c
• Turkish: barbar (tr)

a cruel, savage, brutal person; one without pity or humanity

• Polish: barbarzyńca (pl) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} barbari m, ^{(please verify)} skrælingi m, ^{(please verify)} villimaður m
• Scottish Gaelic: ^{(please verify)} duine borb m, ^{(please verify)} amhasg m, ^{(please verify)} allmharach m

Related terms

• barbarism
• barbarity
• barbarize
• barbary
• rhubarb
• outlander