barbarian

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle English, from Medieval Latin barbarinus (“Berber, pagan, Saracen, barbarian”), from Latin barbaria (“foreign country”), from barbarus (“foreigner, savage”), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (barbaros, “foreign, non-Greek, strange”), onomatopoeic (mimicking foreign languages, akin to 'blah blah'), cognate to Sanskrit बर्बर (barbara, “barbarian, non-Aryan, stammering, blockhead”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bɑː(ɹ).ˈbeə(ɹ).i.ən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /bɑɹ.ˈbeɹ.i.ən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

barbarian (not comparable)

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

Synonyms

• barbaric
• barbarous

Translations

uncivilized

• Arabic: همجي (hámajī), متوحش (mutawáḥḥiš)
• Armenian: բարբարոսական (barbarosakan)
• Bulgarian: варварски (bg) (varvarski)
• Catalan: bàrbar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 蠻 (zh), 蛮 (zh) (mán), 野蠻, 野蛮 (zh) (yěmán)

• Czech: barbarský
• Dutch: barbaars (nl)
• Finnish: barbaarinen
• French: barbare (fr)
• German: barbarisch (de)
• Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros)

• Japanese: 野蛮な (ja) (やばんな, yaban-na)
• Kyrgyz: варвар (ky) (varvar)
• Polish: barbarzyński m
• Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m
• Russian: варварский (ru) (várvarskij)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: варварски m, барбарски m, дивљачки m

  Roman: varvarski m, barbarski m, divljački m

• Spanish: bárbaro (es)
• Swedish: barbarisk
• Turkish: barbar (tr)
• Ukrainian: варварський (uk) (varvars'kyj)
• Vietnamese: dã man (vi) (野蠻)

Noun

barbarian (plural barbarians)

1. An uncivilized or uncultured person, originally compared to the hellenistic Greco-Roman civilisation; often associated with fighting or other such shows of strength.
2. (derogatory) Someone from a developing country or backward culture.
3. A warrior, clad in fur or leather, associated with sword and sorcery stories.
4. (derogatory) A person destitute of culture; a Philistine.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of M. Arnold to this entry?)

5. A cruel, savage, brutal person; one without pity or humanity.
   • Philips

     Thou fell barbarian.

Translations

an uncivilized person

• Afrikaans: barbaar
• Arabic: همجي m (hámajī)
• Armenian: բարբարոս (barbaros)
• Bulgarian: дивак (bg) m (divak), варварин (bg) m (varvarin)
• Catalan: bàrbar (ca) m
• Chinese:

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

• Czech: barbar m
• Dutch: barbaar (nl) m, f
• Finnish: barbaari (fi), raakalainen (fi)
• French: barbare (fr)
• German: Barbar (de) m
• Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros)
• Hungarian: barbár (hu), barbárok (hu)
• Italian: barbaro (it)
• 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)

• Jèrriais: barbare m
• Korean: 야만인 (ko) (yaman-in) (野蠻人 (ko))
• Latvian: barbari
• Lithuanian: barbarai
• Polish: barbarzyńca m
• Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m
• Russian: варвар (ru) m (várvar), варварка (ru) f (várvarka), дикарь (ru) m (dikár’), дикарка (ru) f (dikárka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: barbar m, barbarin m

• Spanish: bárbaro (es)
• Swedish: barbar (sv) c
• Turkish: barbar (tr)
• Ukrainian: варвар m (várvar), варварка f (várvarka)
• Vietnamese: người dã man

a derogatory term for someone from a developing country

• Armenian: բարբարոս (barbaros)
• Bulgarian: дивак (bg) (divak)
• Catalan: bàrbar (ca) m
• Dutch: barbaar (nl) m, f, primitieveling m, wilde (nl) m, f
• Finnish: mutiainen (fi)
• French: barbare (fr)
• German: Barbar (de) m

• Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros), απολίτιστος (el) m (apolítistos)
• Hungarian: barbár (hu)
• Polish: barbarzyńca m
• Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m
• Russian: варвар (ru) m (várvar), варварка (ru) f (várvarka)
• Turkish: barbar (tr)

a warrior associated with Sword and Sorcery stories

• Catalan: bàrbar (ca) m
• Dutch: barbaar (nl) m, f
• Finnish: barbaari (fi)
• French: barbare (fr)
• German: Barbar (de) m

• Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros)
• Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m
• Russian: варвар (ru) m (várvar)
• Swedish: barbar (sv) c
• Turkish: barbar (tr)

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 Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Icelandic: barbari m, skrælingi m, villimaður m

• Scottish Gaelic: duine borb m, amhasg m, allmharach m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: варварин m, дивљак m

  Roman: varvarin m, divljak m

Related terms

• barbarism
• barbarity
• barbarize