Where does “barbarious” come from?
barbarious (English) comes from English barbary, from Middle English barbarye, from Old French barbare, from Latin barbarus, from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος, from Proto-Indo-European balb-.
barbarious (English): barbarous, barbaric
Ancestry of “barbarious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | barbary | barbarian; non-Christian |
| 2 | Middle English | barbarye | barbarian, non-Christian |
| 3 | Old French | barbare | — |
| 4 | Latin | barbarus | foreign; savage; uncivilized |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | βάρβαρος | non-Greek-speaking, foreign; barbaric, brutal,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | balb- | — |
Words derived from “barbarious”