Where does “barracks” come from?
Barracks comes from French baraque, ultimately from Frankish bara, a word for a simple or rough structure.
barracks (English): plural of barrack; API pl; A group of buildings...
Definitions
- plural of barrack; API pl; A group of buildings...
Ancestry of “barracks”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | barrack | A building for soldiers, especially within a... |
| 2 | French | baraqué | buff, yoked, beefy; past participle of baraquer |
| 3 | Spanish | barraca | barrack; tent, hut; storage shed |
| 4 | Catalan | barraca | hut, tent; storage shed; market stall |
| 5 | Catalan | barra | bar; loaf; jawbone, mandible |
| 6 | Vulgar Latin | barra | barrier |
| 7 | Frankish | bara | bar, beam, barrier, fence |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | barō | beam, bar, barrier |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰerH- | to pierce; to strike; brown |