Barn

Pronunciation

• enPR: bärn, IPA: /bÉ‘rn/
• AU IPA: baːn
• New York IPA: bÉ’É™n
• NZ IPA: bɐːn
• UK IPA: bɑː(ɹ)n
• US IPA: bɑɹn
• Rhymes: -ɑː(r)n

Middle English bern, from Old English bereærn 'barn, granary', compound of bere 'barley' and ærn, ræn 'dwelling, barn', from Proto-Germanic *razną (cf. Old High German erin, Old Norse rann), from pre-Germanic *h₁rh̥₁-s-nó-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁erh₁- 'to rest'. More at rest and barley.

Noun

1. (agriculture) A building, often found on a farm, used for storage or keeping animals such as cattle.
• 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, Mr. Pratt's Patients Chapter 11, One day I was out in the barn and he drifted in. I was currying the horse and he set down on the wheelbarrow and begun to ask questions.
2. (nuclear physics) A unit of surface area equal to 10

1. (informal, Canada, ice hockey) An arena.
   Maple Leaf Gardens was a grand old barn.

Derived terms

Full definition of barn

Verb

1. (transitive) To lay up in a barn.
• ShakespeareMen ... often barn up the chaff, and burn up the grain.

From Middle English barn, bern, from Old English bearn ("child, son, offspring, prodigy") and Old Norse barn ("child"). More at bairn.

Noun

1. (dialect, parts of Northern England) A child.

Synonyms

• (child) bairn

Anagrams

• bran
• NRAB