[bahrk] 
| 1. | the abrupt, harsh, explosive cry of a dog. |
| 2. | a similar sound made by another animal, as a fox. |
| 3. | a short, explosive sound, as of firearms: the bark of a revolver. |
| 4. | a brusque order, reply, etc.: The foreman's bark sent the idlers back to their machines. |
| 5. | a cough. |
| 6. | (of a dog or other animal) to utter an abrupt, explosive cry or a series of such cries. |
| 7. | to make a similar sound: The big guns barked. |
| 8. | to speak or cry out sharply or gruffly: a man who barks at his children. |
| 9. | Informal. to advertise a theater performance, carnival sideshow, or the like, by standing at the entrance and calling out to passersby. |
| 10. | to cough. |
| 11. | to utter in a harsh, shouting tone: barking orders at her subordinates. |
| 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. |
| bark 1 (bärk) n.
v. intr.
To utter in a loud, harsh voice: The quarterback barked out the signals. [From Middle English berken, to bark, from Old English beorcan.] |
| 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. |
bark up the wrong tree
Waste one's efforts by pursuing the wrong thing or path, as in If you think I can come up with more money, you're barking up the wrong tree. This term comes from the nocturnal pursuit of raccoon-hunting with the aid of dogs. Occasionally a raccoon fools the dogs, which crowd around a tree, barking loudly, not realizing their quarry has taken a different route. [Early 1800s]