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bark

[bahrk]

Example Sentences Origin

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noun

the abrupt, harsh, explosive cry of a dog.

a similar sound made by another animal, as a fox.

a short, explosive sound, as of firearms: the bark of a revolver.

a brusque order, reply, etc.: The foreman's bark sent the idlers back to their machines.

a cough.

verb (used without object)

(of a dog or other animal) to utter an abrupt, explosive cry or a series of such cries.

to make a similar sound: The big guns barked.

to speak or cry out sharply or gruffly: a man who barks at his children.

Informal. to advertise a theater performance, carnival sideshow, or the like, by standing at the entrance and calling out to passersby.

10.

to cough.

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Bark is one of our favorite verbs.

So is yaff. Does it mean:

to run away hurriedly; flee.

to bark; yelp.

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verb (used with object)

11.

to utter in a harsh, shouting tone: barking orders at her subordinates.

Idioms

12.

bark at the moon, to protest in vain: Telling her that she's misinformed is just barking at the moon.

13.

bark up the wrong tree, to assail or pursue the wrong person or object; misdirect one's efforts: If he expects me to get him a job, he's barking up the wrong tree.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English berken, Old English beorcan; akin to Old English borcian to bark, Old Norse berkja to bluster, Lithuanian burgė́ti to growl, quarrel, Serbo-Croatian br̀gljati to murmur

Related forms

bark·less, adjective

Synonyms
11. shout, bellow, yell, roar, bawl.

Example Sentences

The beetles, the size of a grain of rice, bore into the bark.

Social behavior is being shown as much an adaptation as teeth and eyes and bark and leaves.

Litter drifts around empty pitches, wasps hover near overflowing bins and dogs bark outside each embattled caravan.

EXPAND

The beetles, the size of a grain of rice, bore into the bark.

Social behavior is being shown as much an adaptation as teeth and eyes and bark and leaves.

Litter drifts around empty pitches, wasps hover near overflowing bins and dogs bark outside each embattled caravan.

Make your own delicious peppermint bark to eat or give away as a gift.

The wind still blows through the trees, babies still cry, dogs still bark.

We have to look for one that grows straight, which means the bark has to be growing straight on it.

Older bark sheds in patches to reveal pale, smooth new bark beneath.

Witness the spread of so-called bark and ambrosia beetles, a collection.

Even a small opening in the bark is a gateway for micro-organisms that can spread disease through the tree.

No one would argue for chewing willow bark when aspirin is available.

Tawny frogmouths blend in with tree bark and stumps while sleeping during the day.

If a hyena can be trained to bark out the number of fingers held up the counting claim may be valid.

Early hula kahiko costumes for women featured skirts made of kapa, or bark cloth.

Mahogany-colored bark peels off, revealing satiny white new bark beneath.

Malaysia and was found on the bark of a standing tree.

Panem citizens are reduced to surviving on stews made of mouse meat and tree bark.

Early settlers extracted a yellow dye for cloth from the root bark.

It uses its long middle finger to tap on trees and locate insect larvae underneath the bark using its impressive hearing.

For arachnophobes such as myself, nothing could be more unsavory than a big spider that blends seamlessly into tree bark.

If your cymbidium orchids are bulging out of their containers or the bark has decomposed, it's time to repot them.

Sometimes the biggest news at the dog-and-pony show comes from the dogs that don't bark.

It's not that how loud you bark matters, but the undenied facts.

In summer and fall the quiet northern light flickers on the leaves and the bark of silver and downy birches.

Shooting a crossbow with connecting fishing line then dragging that across a limb, cutting deeply into the bark is criminal.

Many melaleucas have interestingly contorted branches and bark that peels off in thick, papery layers.

The bark is harvested from the cork oak tree every nine years or so.

To continue to focus on these questions is to miss the forest for the texture of the bark on a single elm.

If it hears a hollow spot, it knows bugs might be under the bark.

Flowers are followed by woody capsules that can last for years and may resemble rows of beads pressed into bark.

The brilliant orange-red bark of the madrone stands out amongst the relatively drab sandstone cliffs and other green plants.

Only time will tell whether the former master continues to bark out orders, and whether the poodle responds.

It was big and growing, feeding on dead and dying trees-the result of bark beetle infestation.

Pyramidal when young, round topped in maturityGraybrown bark cracked into irregular plates.

The dogs won't bark or poke at the box in order to prevent triggering any sound- or motion-sensitive devices.

My guess is they are trying to build the dog that didn't bark.

The bark and sawdust left over from log processing are frequently used to generate electricity.

With age, develops shaggy bark and twisting trunks.

The latest car navigation devices bark turn-by-turn directions at you from the dashboard while you drive.

Suddenly they heard a strange noise similar to a dog's bark.

Crooked branches and dark, red-tinged bark make dramatic picture against winter sky.

However, this laboratory chemical is more or less a copy of a chemical that comes from the bark of a willow tree.

In mature trees, the smooth gray bark flakes off to reveal lighter patches beneath.

As soon as the nuthatch moved off, what appeared along the same patch of bark on the same tree but a pair of pygmy nuthatches.

The bark of newly planted citrus trees is subject to sunburn in hot-sun areas.

When the bark peels easily from the gum tree, for example, sharks in the river are fat and may be hunted.

Trunk and branches with shredding gray to reddish bark make attractive open pattern.

The immediate cause of death was often bark beetles, which are also devastating other conifers.

Provide fast-draining but moisture-retentive soil conditioned with plenty of organic matter such as peat moss or ground bark.

We also tell people to yell and let their dogs bark if they see a resident bear.

Avoid growth-stunting organic mulches such as bark or wood chips.

Applying a mulch such as ground bark or compost will help conserve moisture and keep the soil cool.

Plant in well-drained soil amended with peat moss or ground bark.

Organic types, such as bark mulch, improve soil structure and.

After trees are three or four years old, thickening bark prevents sunburn.

The log that creates the waterfall is clad in thin copper sheeting, pressed and glued to highlight underlying bark patterns.

Shredded bark and peat moss hold their structure the longest, taking several years to.

In a fire-wise garden, use gravel or decomposed granite-not flammable bark mulch-to cover the bare ground around plants.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

the external covering of the woody stems, branches, and roots of plants, as distinct and separable from the wood itself.

Tanning. a mixture of oak and hemlock barks.

candy, usually of chocolate with large pieces of nuts, made in flat sheets.

verb (used with object)

to rub off or scrape the skin of, as by bumping into something: to bark one's shins.

to remove a circle of bark from; girdle.

to cover, enclose, or encrust with or as if with bark.

to treat with a bark infusion; tan.

to strip the bark from; peel.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English < Old Norse bǫrkr (genitive barkar)

Related forms

bark·less, adjective

noun

Nautical. a sailing vessel having three or more masts, square-rigged on all but the aftermost mast, which is fore-and-aft-rigged.

Literary. a boat or sailing vessel.

Also, barque.

Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English barke < Old French barque ≪ Late Latin barca, Latin *bārica, bāris < Greek bâris Egyptian barge < Coptic barī barge

Link To bark

Collins

World English Dictionary

bark¹ (bɑːk)

—n
1.	the loud abrupt usually harsh or gruff cry of a dog or any of certain other animals
2.	a similar sound, such as one made by a person, gun, etc
3.	his bark is worse than his bite he is bad-tempered but harmless

—vb
4.	(intr) (of a dog or any of certain other animals) to make its typical loud abrupt cry
5.	(intr) (of a person, gun, etc) to make a similar loud harsh sound
6.	to say or shout in a brusque, peremptory, or angry tone: he barked an order
7.	informal (US) to advertise (a show, merchandise, etc) by loudly addressing passers-by
8.	informal bark up the wrong tree to misdirect one's attention, efforts, etc; be mistaken

[Old English beorcan; related to Lithuanian burgěti to quarrel, growl]

bark² (bɑːk)

—n
1.	a protective layer of dead corky cells on the outside of the stems of woody plants
2.	any of several varieties of this substance that can be used in tanning, dyeing, or in medicine
3.	an informal name for cinchona

—vb
4.	to scrape or rub off skin, as in an injury
5.	to remove the bark or a circle of bark from (a tree or log)
6.	to cover or enclose with bark
7.	to tan (leather), principally by the tannins in barks

[C13: from Old Norse börkr; related to Swedish, Danish bark, German Borke; compare Old Norse björkrbirch]

bark³ (bɑːk)

—n
	a variant spelling (esp US) of barque

barque or esp (US) bark (bɑːk)

—n
1.	a sailing ship of three or more masts having the foremasts rigged square and the aftermast rigged fore-and-aft
2.	poetic any boat, esp a small sailing vessel

[C15: from Old French, from Old Provençal barca, from Late Latin, of unknown origin]

bark or esp (US) bark

—n

[C15: from Old French, from Old Provençal barca, from Late Latin, of unknown origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

bark

"tree skin," c.1300, from O.N. borkr "bark," from P.Gmc. *barkuz, which is probably related to birch and Low Ger. borke. The native word was rind.

EXPAND

bark

"any small ship," early 15c., from M.Fr. barque, from L.L. barca (c.400 C.E.), probably cognate with V.L. *barica (see barge). More precise sense of "three-masted ship" (17c.) often is spelled barque to distinguish it.

bark

"dog sound," O.E. beorcan, from P.Gmc. *berkanan (cf. O.N. berkja "to bark"), of echoic origin. Barker "noisy assistant in an auction or show" is from late 15c. To bark up the wrong tree is U.S. colloquial, first attested 1832, from notion of hounds following the wrong scent.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

bark (bärk) Pronunciation Key
The protective outer covering of the trunk, branches, and roots of trees and other woody plants. Bark includes all tissues outside the vascular cambium. In older trees, bark is usually divided into inner bark, consisting of living phloem, and outer bark, consisting of the periderm (the phelloderm, cork cambium, and cork) and all the tissues outside it. The outer bark is mainly dead tissue that protects the tree from heat, cold, insects, and other dangers. The appearance of bark varies according to the manner in which the periderm forms, as in broken layers or smoother rings. Bark also has lenticels, porous corky areas that allow for the exchange of water vapor and gases with the interior living tissues.

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

bark

In addition to the idioms beginning with bark, also see talk one's arm off (the bark off a tree).

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Idioms & Phrases

bark

talk one's arm off (the bark off a tree)

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"Losing face is as important to people as losing bark is to a tree."

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