barren

See also: Barren

English

Etymology

From Middle English bareyne, from Anglo-Norman baraigne, baraing (“sterile; barren”), of obscure origin; probably from a Germanic language, perhaps Frankish *baʀ (“bare; barren”), from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (“bare”). If so, a doublet of bare.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbæɹən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æɹən
• Homophone: baron

Adjective

barren (comparative barrener or more barren, superlative barrenest or most barren)

1. (not comparable) Unable to bear children; sterile.
   • 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     Forget not, in your speed, Antonius,
     To touch Calpurnia; for our elders say,
     The barren, touched in this holy chase,
     Shake off their sterile curse.

   I silently wept as my daughter's husband rejected her. What would she do now that she was no longer a maiden but also barren?

2. Of poor fertility, infertile; not producing vegetation.
   • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 1, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volumes (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

     barren mountain tracts

   • 2009, Y.J. Zhu, “Taklamakan Desert Moon Ride”, in Lucy McCauley, editor, The Best Women's Travel Writing 2009: True Stories from Around the World (Travelers' Tales)‎^[1], →ISBN, →ISSN, →OCLC, →OL, page 154:

     We have descended Tian Shan and entered the Taklamakan Desert, a barren landscape painted in ecru—no shrubs, no grass, only waves upon waves of naked ridges the color of buff, the highest few spotted with white specks of snow.

   • 2014 December 23, Olivia Judson, “The hemiparasite season [print version: Under the hemiparasite, International New York Times, 24–25 December 2014, p. 7]”, in The New York Times‎^[2]:

     The druids […] believed that mistletoe could make barren animals fecund, and that it was an antidote to all poisons.

3. Bleak.
   • 1922, Michael Arlen, “Ep./4/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days:

     As they turned into Hertford Street they startled a robin from the poet's head on a barren fountain, and he fled away with a cameo note.

4. Unproductive; fruitless; unprofitable; empty.
   • Augusr 28, 1731, Jonathan Swift, letter to John Gay

     But schemes are perfectly accidental. Some will appear barren of hints and matter, but prove to be fruitful.

   • 1843, William H[ickling] Prescott, History of the Conquest of Mexico, […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), New York, N.Y.: Harper and Brothers, […], →OCLC:

     brilliant but barren reveries

   • 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 270:

     When the entire coast-line becomes a sea of waving palms, with Chinese and Malay villages fringing the shores, which are at present mere barren wastes of mangroves, with plantations of pepper, of gambier, and of tapioca and rice, the Northern Territory, backed up by the unswerving energy of the Australian squatter, miner, and planter, will present a spectacle almost unknown in the scheme of British colonization.

   • 2011 September 2, Phil McNulty, “Bulgaria 0-3 England”, in BBC:

     Rooney had been suffered a barren spell for England with only one goal in 15 games but he was in no mood to ignore the gifts on offer in front of an increasingly subdued Bulgarian support.

   • 2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Technology: Terraforming Codex entry:

     Terraforming even a barren planet often involves significant financial and ethical hurdles.

5. Mentally dull; stupid.
   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

     Set on some quantity of barren spectators to laugh too.

Synonyms

• sterile
• fruitless

Antonyms

• fertile
• fruitful

Derived terms

• barren-ground caribou

Translations

unable to bear children; sterile

• Armenian: ամուլ (hy) (amul), չբեր (hy) (čʿber)
• Azerbaijani: sonsuz (az), qısır (of animals)
• Basque: antzu (eu)
• Belarusian: няпло́дны (njaplódny), я́лавы (jálavy) (of soil, also)
• Bulgarian: безплоден (bg) (bezploden), ялов (bg) (jalov)
• Czech: neplodný m
• Dutch: onvruchtbaar (nl), steriel (nl)
• Esperanto: malfekunda
• Estonian: aher
• Finnish: hedelmätön (fi), steriili (fi), maho (fi)
• French: stérile (fr)
• German: steril (de), unfruchtbar (de)
• Greek: στέρφος (el) (stérfos), άκαρπος (el) (ákarpos), στείρος (el) (steíros)

  Ancient: στεῖρος (steîros)

• Hungarian: meddő (hu)
• Interlingua: sterile
• Italian: sterile (it), infertile (it)
• Japanese: 不妊の (ja) (funin no)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بێبەر‎ (bêber)

• Latin: sterilis
• Macedonian: неплоден (neploden), јалов (jalov) (of soil, also)
• Malay: mandul
• Maori: pākoko, pukupā, wharepā, matapā
• Middle English: bareyne
• Nahuatl: tetzacatl (nah)
• Ottoman Turkish: قیصیر‎ (kısır)
• Plautdietsch: fooss
• Polish: bezpłodny (pl), niepłodny
• Portuguese: estéril (pt), infértil (pt)
• Romanian: nefertil (ro) m or n, sterilă f, sterp (ro)
• Russian: беспло́дный (ru) (besplódnyj), я́ловый (ru) (jálovyj) (of soil, also)
• Scots: eild
• Scottish Gaelic: aimrid, fàsaichte, seasg
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ја̏лов

  Roman: jȁlov (sh)

• Slovak: neplodný
• Slovene: jalov
• Spanish: estéril (es), infértil (es)
• Tagalog: kumil
• Thai: เป็นหมัน
• Ukrainian: безплі́дний (uk) (bezplídnyj), неплі́дний (neplídnyj), я́ловий (uk) (jálovyj) (of soil, also)

infertile

• Armenian: անպտղաբեր (hy) (anptġaber), ամուլ (hy) (amul)
• Azerbaijani: məshulsuz
• Basque: antzu (eu)
• Bulgarian: неплодороден (bg) (neplodoroden)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 贫瘠 (zh) (pínjí)

• Esperanto: malfekunda
• Finnish: karu (fi), hedelmätön (fi)
• German: unfruchtbar (de), dürr (de), karg (de)
• Greek: άκαρπος (el) (ákarpos)
• Hungarian: terméketlen (hu)
• Indonesian: tandus (id)
• Interlingua: infertile
• Irish: ocrach
• Italian: sterile (it), infruttifero (it)
• Japanese: 不毛な (ja) (fumō na)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بێبەر‎ (bêber)

• Latin: sterilis
• Maori: hahore, tohetea, hūiki, pāhoahoa, tītōhea
• Middle English: bareyne
• Nahuatl: tetzacatl (nah)
• Ottoman Turkish: قیصیر‎ (kısır), چول‎ (çöl)
• Plautdietsch: fooss
• Polish: bezpłodny (pl), jałowy (pl)
• Portuguese: estéril (pt), infértil (pt); árido (pt)
• Romanian: arid (ro), sterp (ro)
• Russian: беспло́дный (ru) (besplódnyj), неплодоро́дный (ru) (neplodoródnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: aimrid, fàsaichte, seasg
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ја̏лов

  Roman: jȁlov (sh)

• Slovene: jalov
• Spanish: estéril (es), infértil (es)
• Swedish: karg (sv), ofruktbar (sv)
• Thai: กันดาร (th) (gan-daan)

bleak

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 荒芜 (zh) (huāngwú)

• German: ausgetrocknet (de), vertrocknet (de), trocken (de), dürr (de), kahl (de), ausgedörrt, karg (de)
• Gothic: 𐌰𐌿𐌸𐌴𐌹𐍃 (auþeis)
• Hiligaynon: baúg
• Italian: desolato (it)
• Plautdietsch: eed
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: о̀скудан

  Roman: òskudan (sh)

unproductive

• Esperanto: senfrukta
• Japanese: 不毛な (ja) (fumō na)
• Maori: tūpā
• Middle English: bareyne
• Polish: jałowy (pl), bezpłodny (pl)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: нѐплодан

  Roman: nèplodan (sh)

Noun

barren (plural barrens)

1. An area of low fertility and habitation, a desolate place.

   The pine barrens are a site lonely enough to suit any hermit.

   • 1990, Dan Simmons, The Fall of Hyperion, 1st edition, New York: Doubleday, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 165:

     Sol squinted out over the barrens to where the mountains shimmered in the heat haze.

Translations

area of low fertility and habitation, a desolate place

• Bulgarian: пустош (bg) (pustoš)
• German: Ödland (de) n, Öde (de) f, Kargland n
• Macedonian: пу́стош m (pústoš)
• Maori: rake, hūnua (refers to a place at higher altitude), pāhoahoa, akeake, tuakau, tītōhea
• Polish: pustkowie (pl)
• Russian: пу́стошь (ru) f (pústošʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: pustoš (sh)
• Slovene: jalovišče n
• Swedish: ödemark (sv)

Anagrams

• Barner

Basque

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baren/, [ba.rẽ̞n]

Etymology 1

Adjective

barren (comparative barrenago, superlative barrenen, excessive barrenegi)

1. deep

Declension

Declension of barren (adjective, ending in consonant)

		indefinite	singular	plural
absolutive		barren	barrena	barrenak
ergative		barrenek	barrenak	barrenek
dative		barreni	barrenari	barrenei
genitive		barrenen	barrenaren	barrenen
comitative		barrenekin	barrenarekin	barrenekin
causative		barrenengatik	barrenarengatik	barrenengatik
benefactive		barrenentzat	barrenarentzat	barrenentzat
instrumental		barrenez	barrenaz	barrenez
inessive	anim.	barrenengan	barrenarengan	barrenengan
	inanim.	barrenetan	barrenean	barrenetan
locative	anim.	—	—	—
	inanim.	barrenetako	barreneko	barrenetako
allative	anim.	barrenengana	barrenarengana	barrenengana
	inanim.	barrenetara	barrenera	barrenetara
terminative	anim.	barrenenganaino	barrenarenganaino	barrenenganaino
	inanim.	barrenetaraino	barreneraino	barrenetaraino
directive	anim.	barrenenganantz	barrenarenganantz	barrenenganantz
	inanim.	barrenetarantz	barrenerantz	barrenetarantz
destinative	anim.	barrenenganako	barrenarenganako	barrenenganako
	inanim.	barrenetarako	barrenerako	barrenetarako
ablative	anim.	barrenengandik	barrenarengandik	barrenengandik
	inanim.	barrenetatik	barrenetik	barrenetatik
partitive		barrenik	—	—
prolative		barrentzat	—	—

Noun

barren inan

1. interior
2. guts, stomach
3. (figurative) soul, spirit

Declension

Declension of barren (inanimate, ending in consonant)

	indefinite	singular	plural
absolutive	barren	barrena	barrenak
ergative	barrenek	barrenak	barrenek
dative	barreni	barrenari	barrenei
genitive	barrenen	barrenaren	barrenen
comitative	barrenekin	barrenarekin	barrenekin
causative	barrenengatik	barrenarengatik	barrenengatik
benefactive	barrenentzat	barrenarentzat	barrenentzat
instrumental	barrenez	barrenaz	barrenez
inessive	barrenetan	barrenean	barrenetan
locative	barrenetako	barreneko	barrenetako
allative	barrenetara	barrenera	barrenetara
terminative	barrenetaraino	barreneraino	barrenetaraino
directive	barrenetarantz	barrenerantz	barrenetarantz
destinative	barrenetarako	barrenerako	barrenetarako
ablative	barrenetatik	barrenetik	barrenetatik
partitive	barrenik	—	—
prolative	barrentzat	—	—

Etymology 2

Particle

barren

1. A particle used to give certainty or emphasis.

   Jada dakit barren! ― I already know that!

Further reading

• "barren" in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy], euskaltzaindia.eus
• “barren” in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], euskaltzaindia.eus

Catalan

Verb

barren

1. third-person plural present indicative form of barrar

Middle English

Adjective

barren

1. Alternative form of bareyne

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

barren m

1. definite singular of barre

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

barren m

1. definite singular of barre

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaren/ [ˈba.rẽn]
• Rhymes: -aren
• Syllabification: ba‧rren

Verb

barren

1. inflection of barrar:
   1. third-person plural present subjunctive
   2. third-person plural imperative
2. third-person plural present indicative of barrer

Swedish

Noun

barren

1. definite singular of barr c (“parallel bars”)
2. definite plural of barr n (“needle”)