barbecue

English

Marinated beef grilling on a barbecue.

A plate of barbecue (foreground) with sauce, beans and bread.

Alternative forms

• (apparatus; event; meat): barbeque, bar-be-que, bar-b-que, bar-B-Q, bar-b-q (informal forms based on the abbreviation)
• (apparatus; event): barbie (Australia, New Zealand, UK, informal abbreviation)
• (event; meat): BBQ (informal abbreviation)
• (meat): 'cue, 'que, que (US, informal shortenings)

Etymology

From mid-17th century. Borrowed from Spanish barbacoa, from Taíno barbakoa (“framework of sticks”), the raised wooden structure the natives used to either sleep on or cure meat. Originally “meal of roasted meat or fish”. Doublet of balbacua and barbacoa.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɑːbɪˌkjuː/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɑɹbɪˌkju/, /ˈbɑɹbə-/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bar‧be‧cue

Noun

barbecue (countable and uncountable, plural barbecues)

1. A fireplace or pit for grilling food, typically used outdoors and traditionally employing hot charcoal as the heating medium.

   Coordinate terms: grill, boucan

   We cooked our food on the barbecue.

2. A meal or event highlighted by food cooked in such an apparatus.

   We're having a barbecue on Saturday, and you're invited.

   • 2009 June 7, T. Coraghessan Boyle, “The Road Home”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 26 January 2021:

     The difference here is that the protagonists in this collection are, for the most part, at the end of their lives, and so the news of familial drama and divorce and the cocktail parties, barbecues and casual wooings of quotidian life in suburbia is given retrospectively, wistfully, presented in the larger context as memories of lost moments and lost opportunities.

3. Meat, especially pork or beef, which has been cooked in such an apparatus (i.e. smoked over indirect heat from high-smoke fuels) and then chopped up or shredded.

   She ordered a plate of barbecue with a side of slaw.

4. (dated) A hog, ox, or other large animal roasted or broiled whole for a feast.
5. A floor on which coffee beans are sun-dried.
   • 2000, Andrew Gerald Gravette, Architectural Heritage of the Caribbean, page 227:

     Drying the coffee beans took place in a barbecue, basically a large, flat platform, where the pulped coffee beans could be laid out and turned as they dried. Barbecues were often walled around and raised above ground level.

6. (obsolete) A framework of sticks.
   • 1705, William Dampier, Voyages and Descriptions, Volume 2, London: James Knapton, “A Supplement of the Voyage Round the World,” Chapter 5, p. 90,^[2]

     We found no Houses of Entertainment on the Road, yet at every Village we came we got Houseroom, and a Barbacue of split Bambooes to sleep on.

Synonyms

• (grill): braai (South African English), buccan, compare grill
• (event): braai (South African English), cookout

Derived terms

• banana cue
• barbecue pork
• barbecuer
• barbecue sauce
• barbecue slaw
• barbecue stopper
• barbecuey
• barbie
• BBQ
• camote cue
• ham barbecue
• Korean barbecue
• Lexington-style barbecue
• Mongolian barbecue
• nonbarbecue

Related terms

• balbacua
• barbacoa

Descendants

• → Cebuano: barbekyu
• → Tagalog: barbikyu

Translations

a fireplace for cooking food

• Afrikaans: braaiplek
• Arabic: مِشْوَاة f (mišwāh)
• Bulgarian: скара (bg) f (skara), барбекю n (barbekju)
• Macedonian: скара (mk) f (skara)
• Māori: ahirore
• Polish: grill (pl) m
• Russian: гриль (ru) m (grilʹ), барбекю́ (ru) n (barbekjú), шашлы́чница (ru) f (šašlýčnica), барбекю́шница (ru) f (barbekjúšnica), ра́шпер (ru) m (rášper)
• Sicilian: fucuni (scn) m, luci (scn) m, tannura f
• Swedish: grill (sv) c
• Thai: บาร์บีคิว
• Turkish: barbekü (tr), mangal (tr)

cooking instrument

• Afrikaans: braai (af)
• Amharic: ጥብስ (ṭəbs)
• Arabic: شِوَاء m (šiwāʔ), بَارْبِيكْيُو m (barbikyū)
• Armenian: խորոված (hy) (xorovac)
• Asturian: parrilla f, trébedes f pl
• Azerbaijani: barbekü
• Belarusian: барбекю́ n (barbjekjú), грыль m (hrylʹ)
• Bulgarian: барбекю́ n (barbekjú), скара (bg) f (skara)
• Chamicuro: tsepe'ta
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 燒烤 / 烧烤 (zh) (shāokǎo)

• Cornish: barbakoa m
• Czech: gril m
• Danish: barbecue
• Dutch: barbecue (nl), grill (nl)
• Finnish: grilli (fi)
• French: barbecue (fr) m
• Galician: asadeiro (gl) m
• Georgian: მწვადი (ka) (mc̣vadi)
• German: Grill (de) m, Barbecue (de), Grillen (de) n, Grillplatte f, Grillteller m
• Greek: ψησταριά (el) f (psistariá), σχάρα (el) f (schára)
• Haitian Creole: griyad
• Hebrew: מנגל (he)
• Hungarian: grillsütő (hu)
• Ido: grililo (io)
• Italian: fornacella f
• Japanese: バーベキュー (ja) (bābekyū), グリル (ja) (guriru)
• Kazakh: кәуап (käwap)
• Korean: 바비큐 (ko) (babikyu), 그릴 (ko) (geuril)
• Lokono: please add this translation if you can
• Maltese: barbikju m
• Māori: ahi mātiti, rorerore
• Navajo: bikááʼatʼeesí
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: grill (no) m

  Nynorsk: grill m

• Persian: باربیکیو
• Polish: grill (pl) m, ruszt (pl) m, barbecue (pl) n
• Portuguese: churrasqueira (pt) f
• Romanian: grătar (ro) n
• Russian: барбекю́ (ru) n (barbekjú), гриль (ru) m (grilʹ), шашлы́чница (ru) f (šašlýčnica)
• Sicilian: gradigghia (scn) f, tannura f
• Spanish: barbacoa (es) f, parrilla (es) f, asador (es) m
• Swedish: grill (sv)
• Taíno: please add this translation if you can
• Thai: บาร์บีคิว
• Timucua: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: barbekü (tr)
• Ukrainian: барбекю́ n (barbekjú), гриль m (hrylʹ)
• Welsh: barbeciw m

meal

• Afrikaans: braai (af)
• Apache:

  Western Apache: łeʼiibéézhihí

• Arabic: مَشْوِيَّات pl (mašwiyyāt)
• Asturian: parrillada f
• Belarusian: барбекю́ n (barbjekjú)
• Bulgarian: барбекю́ n (barbekjú), ска́ра (bg) f (skára)
• Finnish: grilliateria
• French: barbecue (fr) m, grillades (fr) f pl, barbeuc (fr) m (colloquial)
• German: Grillparty (de) f
• Hungarian: sütögetés
• Ido: grilo (io)
• Indonesian: barbeku, barbekyu (nonstandard)
• Japanese: バーベキュー (ja) (bābekyū), 焼肉 (ja) (yakiniku)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: 바비큐 (ko) (babikyu)
• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: скара (mk) f (skara)
• Norman: r'pas à la broche m
• Polish: grill (pl) m, grillowanie (pl) n, barbecue (pl) n
• Portuguese: churrasco (pt) m
• Romanian: grătar (ro) n
• Russian: барбекю́ (ru) n (barbekjú), жарко́е (ru) n (žarkóje), гриль (ru) m (grilʹ), шашлыки́ (ru) m pl (šašlykí)
• Serbo-Croatian: roštilj (sh) m
• Sicilian: arrustuta f, arrusti e mancia
• Spanish: barbacoa (es) f, parrillada (es) f, asado (es) m
• Swedish: grillfest (sv) c, barbecue (sv) c, grillmat (sv) c
• Thai: บาร์บีคิว
• Turkish: barbekü (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: اسقره (ıskara)

• Ukrainian: барбекю́ n (barbekjú)
• Vietnamese: thịt nướng hun khói
• Walloon: fornêye (wa) f, fornea (wa) m, griyeye
• Welsh: barbeciw m

Verb

barbecue (third-person singular simple present barbecues, present participle barbecuing or barbecueing, simple past and past participle barbecued)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To cook food on a barbecue; to smoke food over indirect heat from high-smoke fuels.
2. (transitive, intransitive) To grill.
3. (slang, somewhat derogatory, transitive) To kill or destroy using high heat or fire; to cook; to burn.
   • 1996, "Weird Al" Yankovic, “The Night Santa Went Crazy”, in Bad Hair Day‎^[3]:

     Then he picked up a flamethrower and he barbecued Blitzen
     And he took a big bite and said, "It tastes just like chicken"

Synonyms

• (grill, barbecue): braai (South African English)

Derived terms

• barbecue up

Translations

to cook food on a barbecue

• Afrikaans: braai (af)
• Arabic: شَوَى (šawā)
• Bulgarian: пека на скара (peka na skara), гриловам (grilovam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 燒烤 / 烧烤 (zh) (shāokǎo)

• Czech: grilovat
• Dutch: grillen (nl), barbecueën (nl), braaien (nl)
• Faroese: grilla
• Finnish: grillata (fi)
• French: griller (fr)
• German: grillen (de)
• Greek: ψήνω (el) (psíno)

  Ancient Greek: ἀπανθρακίζω (apanthrakízō)

• Ido: grilar (io)
• Isan: please add this translation if you can
• Italian: grigliare (it)
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Māori: rorerore
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: grille

  Nynorsk: grille

• Polish: grillować (pl) impf
• Portuguese: grelhar (pt)
• Russian: жа́рить (ru) (žáritʹ)
• Spanish: asar (es), rostizar (es)
• Swedish: grilla (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: mangal yapmak (tr)
• Welsh: barbeciwio

grill — see grill

Dutch

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English barbecue.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɑr.bə.kju/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bar‧be‧cue

Noun

barbecue m (plural barbecues, diminutive barbecuetje n)

1. barbecue

Derived terms

• barbecueën
• barbeknoei

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• (1st and 2nd person singular, imperative)
  • IPA^(key): /ˈbɑr.bə.kju/

  • Audio:

    (file)

  • Hyphenation: bar‧be‧cue
• (subjunctive)
  • IPA^(key): /ˈbɑr.bə.kju.ə/
  • Hyphenation: bar‧be‧cue

Verb

barbecue

1. inflection of barbecueën:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative
2. inflection of barbecuen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative
   4. (dated or formal) singular present subjunctive

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English barbecue.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baʁ.bə.kju/, /baʁ.bə.ky/

• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

barbecue m (plural barbecues)

1. barbecue
   • 2015 July 17, Monde‎^[4]:

     Repéré par tous les réseaux de foodistas depuis son lancement, en 2011, le Braisenville a imposé son décor, censé évoquer la palette chromatique du barbecue (lustres orange braise, briques noir charbon, sol ciment gris cendre), et un vrai concept culinaire.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• barbec
• barbeuc

Further reading

• “barbecue”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English barbecue, from Spanish barbacoa, from Taíno barbakoa (“framework of sticks”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbar.bɛ.kju/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -arbɛkju
• Syllabification: bar‧be‧cue

Noun

barbecue n (indeclinable)

1. barbecue (cooking instrument)

   Synonyms: ruszt, grill

2. barbecue (meal)

   Synonym: grill

3. barbecue sauce

Further reading

• “barbecue”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[5] (in Polish)

Spanish

Alternative forms

• barbiquiú, barbiquíu, barbiquiw

Etymology

Borrowed from English barbecue. Doublet of barbacoa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baɾbiˈkju/ [baɾ.β̞iˈkju]
  • Rhymes: -u
• IPA^(key): /baɾbiˈkiu/ [baɾ.β̞iˈkiu̯], /baɾbiˈkiw/ [baɾ.β̞iˈkiw]
  • Rhymes: -iu, -iw
• Syllabification: bar‧be‧cue

Noun

barbecue m (plural barbecues)

1. (Puerto Rico) barbecue

   Synonym: barbacoa

Further reading

• “barbecue”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010

Swedish

Noun

barbecue c

1. a barbecue

   Synonym: grillfest

Declension

Declension of barbecue

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	barbecue	barbecues
	definite	barbecuen	barbecuens
plural	indefinite	barbecues	barbecues
	definite	-	-

References

• “barbecue”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “barbecue”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)