Origin: before 900;Middle English;Old Englishbær; cognate with Old Frisianber,Dutchbaar,Old Saxon,Old High German,Germanbar,Old Norseberr,Lithuanianbãsas barefoot, Russianbos; akin to Armenian bok naked
Related forms
bar·ish, adjective
bare·ness, noun
Synonyms 1. undressed. 2. plain, stark, empty, barren. Bare, stark, barren share the sense of lack or absence of something that might be expected. Bare the least powerful in connotation of the three, means lack of expected or usual coverings, furnishings, or embellishments: bare floor, feet, head.Stark implies extreme severity or desolation and resultant bleakness or dreariness: a stark landscape; a stark, emotionless countenance.Barren carries a strong sense of sterility and oppressive dullness: barren fields; a barren relationship.6. See mere1. 8. uncover, expose.
O.E. bær "naked, uncovered," from P.Gmc. *bazaz (cf. Ger. bar, O.N. berr, Du. baar), from PIE *bhosos (cf. Armenian bok "naked;" O.C.S. bosu, Lith. basas "barefoot"). Meaning "sheer, absolute" (c.1200) is from the notion of "complete in itself." The verb is O.E. barian.
n. a difficult task. : This problem is a real bear.
n. an ugly woman. (Derogatory.) : Tell the old bear to hold her tongue.
n. a highway patrol officer. (See also Smokey (the Bear).) : There's a bear hiding under that bridge.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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