Barnaby

name, noun

name, noun ·3 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A lively and fast-paced dance; (by extension) any quick and uneven movement. archaic, uncountable

    "Bounce cry the port-holes, out they fly And make the world dance Barnaby."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A male given name from Hebrew, from the medieval vernacular form of Barnabas.

    "This day the sun is in his chiefest height With Barnaby the Bright."

Example

More examples

"Bounce cry the port-holes, out they fly And make the world dance Barnaby."

Etymology

* English surname of Aramaic origin, from בַּר נְבִיָּא (bar nəḇiyyā, literally “prophet’s son”). * Also as an English surname, from Old English Beornwald, from beorn (“young warrior”) + wealdan (“rule”) + Old Norse býr (“farmstead”).

Related phrases

long Barnaby

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.