Etymology Explorer › Middle Dutch

Where does “barbaer” come from?

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

Ancestry of “barbaer”, step by step

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

Words derived from “barbaer”

  • barbarij
  • barbaarsheid
  • barbaars
  • barbaar
  • barbar
Every word from Proto-Indo-European balb- →