Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “barefaced” come from?

Barefaced derives from English bare and English fast, which trace through Middle English bare and Middle English barn to Proto-Indo-European bʰer-, meaning to carry or bear.

barefaced (English): Undisguisedly offensive and bold; crude; coarse;...

Definitions

  1. Undisguisedly offensive and bold; crude; coarse;...

Ancestry of “barefaced”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbareMinimal; that is or are just sufficient; Naked,...
2Middle EnglishbareAlternative form of bor
3Old Englishbærbare, naked, unconcealed
4Proto-West Germanicbaʀbare, naked
5Proto-Germanicbazazbare, naked
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰosósbare, barefoot
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰos-to sally forth, barge, hurtle out; bare, barefoot

Words derived from “barefaced”

  • barefacedly
  • barefacedness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰos- →