Where does “barbary” come from?

barbary (English) comes from Middle English barbarye, from Old French barbare, from Latin barbarus, from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος, from Proto-Indo-European balb-.

barbary (English): barbarian; non-Christian

Definitions

  1. barbarian; non-Christian

Ancestry of “barbary”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbarbaryebarbarian, non-Christian
2Old Frenchbarbare—
3Latinbarbarusforeign; savage; uncivilized
4Ancient Greekβάρβαροςnon-Greek-speaking, foreign; barbaric, brutal,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbalb-—

Words derived from “barbary”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European balb- →