barbarian

/bɑː(ɹ)ˈbɛə.ɹi.ən/

BⱭː(ɹ)BƐƏ · ɹi · ən (3 syllables)

English Adj Top 14,337

Definition

Relating to people, countries, or customs perceived as uncivilized or inferior.

Etymology

From Middle English barbarian, borrowed from Medieval Latin barbarinus (“Berber, pagan, foreigner”), from Latin barbaria (“foreign country”), from barbarus (“foreigner, savage”), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “foreign, non-Greek, strange”), possibly onomatopoeic (mimicking foreign languages, akin to English blah blah). Cognate to Sanskrit बर्बर (barbara, “barbarian, non-Aryan, stammering, blockhead”).