barbarian

See also: barbarían

English

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barbarian

Etymology

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”).

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /bɑː(ɹ).ˈbɛə.ɹi.ən/
(US) IPA^(key): /bɑɹ.ˈbɛəɹ.i.ən/
Audio (US): (file)
Rhymes: -ɛəɹiən

Adjective

barbarian (not comparable)

Relating to people, countries, or customs perceived as uncivilized or inferior.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

uncivilized

Albanian: i barbar (sq), i paqytetëruar (sq)
Arabic: هَمَجِيّ (hamajiyy), مُتَوَحِّش (ar) (mutawaḥḥiš)
Armenian: բարբարոսական (hy) (barbarosakan)
Azerbaijani: barbar, vəhşi (az)
Belarusian: ва́рварскі (várvarski), ба́рбарскі (bárbarski), барбары́нскі (barbarýnski), дзі́кі (dzíki), дзіку́нскі (dzikúnski)
Bulgarian: ва́рварски (bg) (várvarski), див (bg) (div)
Catalan: bàrbar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 野蠻／野蛮 (zh) (yěmán), 不文明 (bù wénmíng), 胡 (zh) (hú)
Czech: barbarský (cs)
Danish: barbarisk
Dutch: barbaars (nl)
Estonian: barbaarne
Finnish: barbaarinen (fi), barbaarimainen (fi)
French: barbare (fr)
Galician: bárbaro
Georgian: ბარბაროსი (barbarosi)
German: barbarisch (de)
Greek: βάρβαρος (el) (várvaros), βαρβαρικός (el) (varvarikós)
Ancient: βαρβαρικός (barbarikós)
Hebrew: בַּרְבָּרִי (he) (barbári)
Hungarian: barbár (hu)
Icelandic: barbarískur, villimannslegur
Italian: barbaro (it) m
Japanese: 野蛮な (ja) (やばんな, yaban na)
Kazakh: варвар (varvar), варварлық (varvarlyq)
Kyrgyz: варвар (ky) (varvar)
Latvian: barbarisks
Lithuanian: barbariškas
Macedonian: варварски (varvarski)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: barbarisk

Nynorsk: barbarisk
Persian: وحشیانه (fa) (vahšiyâne), وحشی (fa) (vahši), بربری (fa) (barbari)
Polish: barbarzyński (pl)
Portuguese: bárbaro (pt)
Romanian: barbar (ro)
Russian: ва́рварский (ru) (várvarskij), ди́кий (ru) (díkij)
Sanskrit: बर्बर (sa) (barbara)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ба̀рбарскӣ, ва̀рварскӣ, дѝвља̄чкӣ

Roman: bàrbarskī (sh), vàrvarskī (sh), dìvljāčkī (sh)
Slovak: barbarský
Slovene: barbarski (sl)
Sogdian: ܒܪܒܪܥܝܩ (βarβarīk)
Spanish: bárbaro (es)
Swahili: shenzi
Swedish: barbarisk (sv)
Tajik: ваҳшиёна (vahšiyona), ваҳшӣ (tg) (vahši), барбарӣ (barbari)
Turkish: barbar (tr)
Ukrainian: ва́рварський (uk) (várvarsʹkyj), ди́кий (dýkyj), дику́нський (dykúnsʹkyj)
Uzbek: vahshiyona (uz), vahshiy (uz)
Vietnamese: dã man (vi) (野蠻)
Zazaki: barbar

Noun

barbarian (plural barbarians)

(historical) A non-Greek or a non-Roman citizen.
An uncivilized or uncultured person, originally compared to the hellenistic Greco-Roman civilisation; usually associated with senseless violence or other such shows of brute force and lack of mental faculty.
(derogatory) A person destitute of culture; a Philistine.
- 1725, Anthony Blackwall, The Sacred Classics Defended And Illustrated:
  Shall a noble writer, and an inspired noble writer, be called a solecist, and barbarian, for giving a new turn to a word so agreeable to the analogy and genius of the Greek tongue?
(derogatory) Someone from a developing country or backward culture.
A warrior depicted in sword and sorcery and other fantasy works; typically clad in primitive furs or leather and favoring physical strength over intelligence while often possessing a bellicose temperament and disdain for laws.
(derogatory) A cruel, savage, inhumane, brutal, violently aggressive person, particularly one who is unintelligent or dim-witted; one without pity or empathy.
- 1712, Ambrose Philips, The Distrest Mother:
  Thou fell barbarian.
(derogatory) A foreigner, especially with barbaric qualities as in the above definitions.

Synonyms

(foreigner): alien, outlander, peregrine; see also Thesaurus:foreigner

Translations

a non-Greek or a non-Roman

Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros)
Ancient Greek: βάρβαρος m (bárbaros)

Mycenaean Greek: 𐀞𐀞𐀫 m (pa-pa-ro)
Polish: barbarzyńca (pl) m
Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m
Ukrainian: ва́рвар m (várvar), ва́рварка f (várvarka)

uncivilized person

Afrikaans: barbaar
Albanian: barbar (sq) m
Arabic: هَمَجِيّ m (hamajiyy), بَرْبَرِيّ m (barbariyy)
Armenian: բարբարոս (hy) (barbaros)
Azerbaijani: barbar
Belarusian: ва́рвар m (várvar), ва́рварка f (várvarka), ба́рбар m (bárbar), ба́рбарка f (bárbarka), дзіку́н m (dzikún), дзіку́нка f (dzikúnka)
Bulgarian: ва́рварин (bg) m (várvarin), ва́рварка f (várvarka), дива́к (bg) m (divák), дива́чка f (diváčka)
Catalan: bàrbar (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 野蠻人／野蛮人 (zh) (yěmánrén), 番子 (zh) (fānzi), 蠻人／蛮人 (zh) (mánrén), 夷 (zh) (yí)
Czech: barbar (cs) m, barbarka f
Danish: barbar (da) c
Dutch: barbaar (nl) m or f
Esperanto: barbaro (eo)
Estonian: barbar (et)
Finnish: barbaari (fi), raakalainen (fi)
French: barbare (fr) m or f
Galician: bárbaro m, bárbara f
Georgian: ბარბაროსი (barbarosi)
German: Barbar (de) m, Barbarin f
Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros)
Ancient: βάρβαρος m (bárbaros)
Hindi: बर्बर (hi) m (barbar)
Hungarian: barbár (hu)
Icelandic: barbari m
Irish: barbarach m
Italian: barbaro (it) m, barbara (it) f
Japanese: 野蛮 (ja) (やばん, yaban), 野蛮人 (ja) (やばんじん, yabanjin), 蛮人 (ja) (ばんじん, banjin), 夷人 (いじん, ijin)
Kazakh: варвар (varvar)
Korean: 야만인(野蠻人) (ko) (yamanin) (in a modern or Western sense), 오랑캐 (ko) (orangkae) (in traditional East Asian contexts)
Kyrgyz: варвар (ky) (varvar)
Latin: barbarus (la) m, barbara f
Latvian: barbars m
Lithuanian: barbaras m
Macedonian: варвар m (varvar), варварин m (varvarin), варварка f (varvarka)
Norman: barbare m
Norwegian:
Bokmål: barbar m

Nynorsk: barbar m
Persian: بربر (fa) (barbar)
Polish: barbarzyńca (pl) m, barbarzynka (pl) f
Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m, bárbara (pt) f
Romanian: barbar (ro) m, barbară f, varvar m, varvară f
Russian: ва́рвар (ru) m (várvar), ва́рварка (ru) f (várvarka), дика́рь (ru) m (dikárʹ), дика́рка (ru) f (dikárka)
Sanskrit: बर्बर (sa) m (barbara), म्लेच्छ (sa) m (mleccha), दस्यु (sa) m (dasyu)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ба̀рбар m, ба̏рбарин m, ба̀рба̄рка f, варвар m, варварин m, варварка f, дѝвља̄к m, дивља̀киња f, дивља̀куша f

Roman: bàrbar (sh) m, bȁrbarin m, bàrbārka (sh) f, varvar m, varvarin (sh) m, varvarka f, dìvljāk (sh) m, divljàkinja (sh) f, divljàkuša (sh) f
Slovak: barbar (sk) m, barbarka (sk) f
Slovene: barbar (sl) m, barbarka f
Spanish: bárbaro (es) m, bárbara (es) f
Swahili: mshenzi
Swedish: barbar (sv) c
Tajik: барбар (barbar)
Turkish: barbar (tr)
Ukrainian: ва́рвар m (várvar), ва́рварка f (várvarka), дику́н m (dykún), дику́нка f (dykúnka)
Uzbek: barbar (uz), varvar (uz)
Vietnamese: mọi (vi), rợ (vi)
Welsh: barbariad m, anwariad m
Yiddish: באַרבאַר m (barbar)
Zazaki: barbar

derogatory term for someone from a developing country

Armenian: բարբարոս (hy) (barbaros)
Bulgarian: дива́к (bg) m (divák), дива́чка f (diváčka)
Catalan: bàrbar (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 落後的人／落后的人 (luòhòu de rén) (no equivalent exists)
Dutch: barbaar (nl) m or f, primitieveling m, wilde (nl) m or f
Finnish: mutiainen (fi)
French: barbare (fr) m or f
German: Barbar (de) m
Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros), απολίτιστος (el) m (apolítistos)
Hungarian: barbár (hu)
Polish: barbarzyńca (pl) m
Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m
Russian: ва́рвар (ru) m (várvar), ва́рварка (ru) f (várvarka), дика́рь (ru) m (dikárʹ), дика́рка (ru) f (dikárka)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ба̀рбар m, ба̀рба̄рка f, дѝвља̄к m, дивља̀киња f, дивља̀куша f

Roman: bàrbar (sh) m, bàrbārka (sh) f, dìvljāk (sh) m, divljàkinja (sh) f, divljàkuša (sh) f
Spanish: please add this translation if you can
Turkish: barbar (tr)
Ukrainian: селю́к m (seljúk) (literally "village dweller"), село́ (uk) n (seló) (collective, literally "village")

warrior associated with Sword and Sorcery stories

Catalan: bàrbar (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 野蠻人／野蛮人 (zh) (yěmánrén)
Dutch: barbaar (nl) m or f
Finnish: barbaari (fi)
French: barbare (fr) m or f
Galician: bárbaro m
German: Barbar (de) m
Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros)
Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m
Russian: ва́рвар (ru) m (várvar)
Spanish: please add this translation if you can
Swedish: barbar (sv) c
Turkish: barbar (tr)
Ukrainian: ва́рвар m (várvar), ва́рварка f (várvarka)

a cruel, savage, brutal person; one without pity or humanity

Polish: barbarzyńca (pl) m
Ukrainian: ва́рвар m (várvar), ва́рварка f (várvarka)
Zazaki: barbarin

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} barbari m, ^{(please verify)} skrælingi m, ^{(please verify)} villimaður m
Scottish Gaelic: ^{(please verify)} duine borb m, ^{(please verify)} amhasg m, ^{(please verify)} allmharach m

Related terms