Added 9 October 2026
barbarian
/bɑː(ɹ)ˈbɛə.ɹi.ən/ noun
In Latin: barbarus, barbara Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about barbarian at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A member of an uncivilized people.
- A crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement.
adjective
-
Without civilizing influences.
barbarian invaders
Origin
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”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)