Barbarous

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbɑː(ɹ)bəɹəs/

Origin

From Latin barbarus ("foreigner, savage"), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (barbaros, "foreign, strange").

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) barbarouse

Full definition of barbarous

Adjective

1. (said of language) Not classical or pure.
2. uncivilized, uncultured
3. Like a barbarian, especially in sound; noisy, dissonant.I did but prompt the age to quit their cloggsBy the known rules of antient libertie,When strait a barbarous noise environs meOf Owles and Cuckoes, Asses, Apes and Doggs - , John Milton (1673)

Derived terms

• barbarously
• barbarousness

Related terms

• barbarian
• barbaric