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bar·ba·rous

(bärbər-əs)

adj.

1. Primitive or undeveloped in culture and customs; uncivilized.

2. Lacking refinement or culture; coarse: inappropriate, barbarous behavior.

3. Characterized by savagery; very cruel: a barbarous punishment; a barbarous tyrant.

4. Marked by the use or occurrence of barbarisms in spoken or written language.

[From Latin barbarus, from Greek barbaros, non-Greek, foreign; see BARBARISM.]

barba·rous·ly adv.

barba·rous·ness n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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