barbarian

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See also: barbarían

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

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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).

Pronunciation

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  • (UK) IPA(key): /bɑː(ɹ).ˈbɛə.ɹi.ən/
  • (US) IPA(key): /bɑɹ.ˈbɛəɹ.i.ən/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛəɹiən

Adjective

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barbarian (not comparable)

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

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Noun

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barbarian (plural barbarians)

  1. (historical) A non-Greek or a non-Roman citizen.
  2. 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.
  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 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.
  6. (derogatory) A cruel, savage, inhumane, brutal, violently aggressive person, particularly one who is unintelligent or dim-witted; one without pity or empathy.
  7. (derogatory) A foreigner, especially with barbaric qualities as in the above definitions.

Synonyms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
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