Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Bark

//bɑːk// intj, name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Intj

1
The sound of a dog barking.

Proper Noun

1
A surname.

Noun

1
The short, loud, explosive sound uttered by a dog, a fox, and some other animals.
2
The exterior covering of the trunk and branches of a tree. countable, uncountable
"The hardships of bark-collecting in the primeval forests of South America are of the severest kind, and undergone only by the half-civilized Indians and people of mixed race, in the pay of speculators or companies located in the towns. Those who are engaged in the business, especially the collectors themselves, are called Cascarilleros or Cascadores, from the Spanish word Cascara, bark."
3
A small sailing vessel, e.g. a pinnace or a fishing smack; a rowing boat or barge. obsolete
4
An Irish person. obsolete, slang
5
a sailing ship with 3 (or more) masts wordnet

Show 11 more definitions

6
An abrupt loud vocal utterance. figuratively
"Fox’s clumsy figure, negligently dressed in blue and buff, seemed unprepossessing; only his shaggy eyebrows added to the expression of his face; his voice would rise to a bark in excitement."
7
Peruvian bark or Jesuit's bark, the bark of the cinchona from which quinine is produced. countable, uncountable
8
A sailing vessel or boat of any kind. poetic
"It is the star to every wandering bark"
9
the sound made by a dog wordnet
10
The quick opening of the hi-hat cymbal as it is hit, followed by its timely closing.
11
Hard candy made in flat sheets, for instance out of chocolate, peanut butter, toffee or peppermint. countable, uncountable
12
A vessel, typically with three (or more) masts, with the foremasts (or fore- and mainmasts) square-rigged, and mizzenmast schooner-rigged.
"Europeans would cross the ocean in large barks built for deck space and large holds."
13
a noise resembling the bark of a dog wordnet
14
The crust formed on barbecued meat that has had a rub applied to it. countable, uncountable
"This softens the meat further, but at some loss of crunch to the bark."
15
tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants wordnet
16
The envelopment or outer covering of anything. countable, uncountable

Verb

1
To make a short, loud, explosive noise with the vocal organs (said of animals, especially dogs). intransitive
"The neighbour's dog is always barking."
2
To strip the bark from; to peel.
"Along the river freshly felled and barked trees told of the activity of beaver, and in slow current and in eddies the tops of their winter's food supply lay like submerged brush fences projecting above the surface."
3
tan (a skin) with bark tannins wordnet
4
To make a clamor; to make importunate outcries. intransitive
"And therefore they bark, and say the scripture maketh heretics."
5
To abrade or rub off any outer covering from.
"to bark one’s heel"

Show 7 more definitions

6
speak in an unfriendly tone wordnet
7
To speak sharply. transitive
"The sergeant barked an order."
8
To girdle.
9
make barking sounds wordnet
10
To cover or inclose with bark, or as with bark.
"to bark the roof of a hut"
11
remove the bark of a tree wordnet
12
cover with bark wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English barken, berken, borken, from Old English beorcan (“to bark”), from the Proto-West Germanic *berkan (“to bark”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerg- (“to make a noise, growl, bark”), from *bʰer- (“to drone, hum, buzz”). Cognate with Icelandic berkja (“to bark, bluster”), Icelandic barki (“throat, windpipe”), dialectal Lithuanian burgė́ti (“to growl, grumble, grouch, quarrel”), Serbo-Croatian brbljati (“to murmur”). For the noun, compare Old English beorc, bearce (“barking”)..

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

Etymology 4

From Middle English bark, from Old English barc (“bark”), from Old Norse bǫrkr (“tree bark”), from Proto-Germanic *barkuz, probably related to *birkijǭ (“birch”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerHǵós (compare Latin frāxinus (“ash”), Lithuanian béržas (“birch”)), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerHǵ- (“to gleam; white”) (compare English bright); akin to Danish bark, Icelandic börkur, Low German borke and Albanian berk (“bast”).

Etymology 5

Etymology 6

From Middle English barke (“boat”), from Middle French barque, from Late Latin barca, a regular syncope of Vulgar Latin *barica, from Classical Latin bāris, from Ancient Greek βᾶρις (bâris, “Egyptian boat”), from Coptic ⲃⲁⲁⲣⲉ (baare, “small boat”), from Demotic Egyptian br, from Egyptian bꜣjrb-bA-A-y:r*Z1-P1 (“transport ship”). Doublet of barge, barque and baris.

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: bark