[bahrd] 
| 1. | (formerly) a person who composed and recited epic or heroic poems, often while playing the harp, lyre, or the like. |
| 2. | one of an ancient Celtic order of composers and reciters of poetry. |
| 3. | any poet. |
| 4. | the bard, William Shakespeare. |
[bahrd] | 1. | Armor. any of various pieces of defensive armor for a horse. |
| 2. | Cookery. a thin slice of fat or bacon secured to a roast of meat or poultry to prevent its drying out while cooking. |
| 3. | Armor. to caparison with bards. |
| 4. | Cookery. to secure thin slices of fat or bacon to (a roast of meat or poultry) before cooking. |
| bard 1 (bärd) n.
[Middle English, from Irish and Scottish Gaelic bard and from Welsh bardd; see gwerə-2 in Indo-European roots.] bard'ic adj. |
| bard 2 also barde (bärd) n. A piece of armor used to protect or ornament a horse. tr.v. bard·ed, bard·ing, bards
[Middle English barde, from Old French, from Old Italian barda, from Arabic barda'a, packsaddle, from Persian pardah; see purdah.] |
"All vagabundis, fulis, bardis, scudlaris, and siclike idill pepill, sall be brint on the cheek." [local Scottish ordinance, c.1500]Subsequently idealized by Scott in the more ancient sense of "lyric poet, singer." Poetic use of the word in English is from Gk. bardos, L. bardus, both from Gaulish. Bardolatry "worship of Shakespeare (the 'Bard of Avon')" first recorded 1901.
