Barbecue

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbɑː(ɹ)bÉ™kju/

Alternative forms

• barbeque
• BBQ
• bar-b-que

Origin

From Spanish barbacoa, from Taino barbakoa ("framework of sticks"), the raised wooden structure the Indians used to either sleep on or cure meat. Originally “meal of roasted meat or fish”.

Full definition of barbecue

Noun

1. A meal or event highlighted by food cooked on a barbecue.We're having a barbecue on Saturday, and you're invited.
2. A fireplace or pit for grilling food, typically used outdoors and traditionally employing hot charcoal as the heating medium.We cooked our food on the barbecue.
3. (dated) A hog, ox, or other large animal roasted or broiled whole for a feast.
4. 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.

Synonyms

• braai (South African English)
• buccan

Derived terms

• barbecue sauce
• barbie

Verb

1. To cook food on a barbecue; to grill.