bard

See also: Bard, bárd, bàrd, Bård, and bård

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bɑː(ɹ)d/
• (US) IPA^(key): [bɑɹd]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(r)d

Etymology 1

(15th c.) from Scottish Gaelic bàrd, from Old Irish bard, from Proto-Celtic *bardos (“bard, poet”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerH- (“praise”), and reinforced by Latin bardus, descended from the same. Cognate with Latin grātus (“grateful, pleasant, delightful”), Sanskrit गृणाति (gṛṇāti, “calls, praises”), Old Church Slavonic жрьти (žrĭti, “to sacrifice”).

Noun

bard (plural bards)

1. A professional poet and singer, like among the ancient Celts, whose occupation was to compose and sing verses in honor of the heroic achievements of princes and brave men.
   • 1837, Richard LLWYD, "The Poetical Works of Richard Llwyd, the Bard of Snowdon

     "He is a Welsh bard, and a man full of animation, anecdote, and independence; […] "

2. (by extension) A poet.

   Shakespeare is known as the bard of Avon.

Derived terms

• bardic

Translations

professional poet and singer

• Catalan: bard m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 詩人／诗人 (zh) (shīrén), 诗人 (zh) (shīrén), 吟遊詩人／吟游诗人 (yínyóushīrén), 吟游诗人 (yínyóu shīrén)

• Dutch: bard (nl) m
• Esperanto: bardo (eo)
• Finnish: runoilija (fi), bardi (fi)
• French: barde (fr) m
• Galician: bardo m
• German: Barde (de) m
• Hungarian: bárd (hu), dalnok (hu)
• Interlingue:
• Irish: bard m
• Italian: aedo (it) m, cantore (it) m, trovatore (it) m, poeta (it) m, vate (it) m
• Japanese: 詩人 (ja) (しじん, shijin), 吟遊詩人 (ぎんゆうしじん, gin'yū shijin)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 시인 (ko) (siin)
• Latgalian: dzīsminīks m
• Latvian: dziesminieks m, dziesminiece f
• Persian: سراینده (fa) (sorâyande)
• Portuguese: poeta (pt) m or f, bardo (pt) m
• Polish: bard (pl) m, poeta (pl) m, poetka (pl) f
• Russian: бард (ru) m (bard), а́втор-исполни́тель (ru) m (ávtor-ispolnítelʹ)
• Spanish: bardo (es) m
• Sudovian: daininīkas m
• Swahili: malenga (sw)
• Swedish: bard (sv) c
• Turkish: ozan (tr)
• Welsh: bardd (cy) m

Etymology 2

From French barde. English since the late 15th century.

Noun

bard (plural bards)

1. A piece of defensive (or, sometimes, ornamental) armor for a horse's neck, breast, and flanks; a barb. (Often in the plural.)
2. Defensive armor formerly worn by a man at arms.
3. (cooking) A thin slice of fat bacon used to cover any meat or game.
4. The exterior covering of the trunk and branches of a tree; the rind.
5. Specifically, Peruvian bark.

Translations

fat bacon

• Arabic: بَردَعَه
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 熏肉片 (xūnròupiàn)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: silava (fi)
• Galician: albarda (gl) f
• German: Barde (de) f

Verb

bard (third-person singular simple present bards, present participle barding, simple past and past participle barded)

1. To cover a horse in defensive armor.
   • 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 29:

     The defensive armor with which the horses of the ancient knights or men at arms were covered, or, to use the language of the time, barded, consisted of the following pieces made either of metal or jacked leather, the Chamfron, Chamfrein or Shaffron, the Criniere or Main Facre, the Poitrenal, Poitral or Breast Plate, and the Croupiere or Buttock Piece.

2. (cooking) To cover (meat or game) with a thin slice of fat bacon.

Anagrams

• Brad, brad, darb, drab

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Catalan

Noun

bard m (plural bards)

1. bard (a professional poet and singer, like among the ancient Celts)

Further reading

• “bard” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “bard”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “bard” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “bard” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed either from German Barde or English bard. Ultimately from Proto-Celtic *bardos (“bard, poet”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerH- (“praise”). Cognate with Latin grātus (“grateful, pleasant, delightful”), Sanskrit गृणाति (gṛṇāti, “calls, praises”), Old Church Slavonic жрьти (žrĭti, “to sacrifice”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɑrt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bard
• Rhymes: -ɑrt

Noun

bard m (plural barden)

1. bard, Celtic poet, singer

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French

Etymology

From Middle French bard, from Old French béart, bayart, baiart, boieart, boyart, bayard (“stretcher”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from unattested *berard, from Frankish *berhard (“carrier”), from Frankish *beran (“to carry”) + *-hard.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baʁ/

Noun

bard m (plural bards)

1. (dated) A sort of stretcher, with no wheels, used for transporting materials
2. (dated) A sawhorse

Synonyms

• bayard
• (sawhorse): tréteau

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Irish

Alternative forms

• bárd (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old Irish bard, from Proto-Celtic *bardos.

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Connacht) IPA^(key): /bˠɑːɾˠd̪ˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /bˠæːɾˠd̪ˠ/

Noun

bard m (genitive singular baird, nominative plural baird)

1. poet (of a certain rank); bard
2. scold

Declension

Declension of bard

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative bard baird Vocative a bhaird a bharda Genitive baird bard Dative bard baird

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an bard na baird Genitive an bhaird na mbard Dative leis an mbard don bhard leis na baird

Derived terms

• filíocht na mbard (“bardic poetry”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
bard	bhard	mbard
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “bard”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “bard”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “bárd”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 60

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Ludian

Etymology

Related to Finnish parta, form influenced by Russian борода (boroda).

Noun

bard

1. beard

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Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic بَرْد (bard).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bart/

Noun

1. cold; cold weather

Related terms

• biered
• bruda

See also

• kiesaħ

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Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish bard, from Proto-Celtic *bardos.

Noun

bard m (genitive singular ?, plural bardyn)

1. bard
2. poet

Synonyms

• bardagh
• bardoonagh

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• barde

Etymology

From Old Norse barð.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɑːr/, /bɑrd/

Noun

bard m (definite singular barden, indefinite plural bardar, definite plural bardane)

1. a edge, rim, (river)bank

Further reading

• “bard” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *bardos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bar͈d/

Noun

bard m (genitive baird, nominative plural baird)

1. bard
2. poet

Inflection

Masculine o-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	bard	bardL	bairdL
Vocative	baird	bardL	barduH
Accusative	bardN	bardL	barduH
Genitive	bairdL	bard	bardN
Dative	bardL	bardaib	bardaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Synonyms

• éices
• fer cerda
• fili
• túar

Descendants

• Irish: bard
• Manx: bard
• Scottish Gaelic: bàrd
  • → English: bard

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
bard	bard pronounced with /v(ʲ)-/	mbard
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “bard”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

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Veps

Etymology

Related to Finnish parta, form influenced by Russian борода (boroda).

Noun

bard

1. beard