English word origin

Etymology of barse

From Middle English bars, from Old English bærs (“a fish, perch”), from Proto-West Germanic *bars, from Proto-Germanic *barsaz (“perch”, literally “prickly”). Cognate with Dutch baars (“perch, bass”), German Barsch (“per

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

The perch; any of various marine and freshwater fish resembling the perch.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionbarsenm
Inherited-form mentionbærsang
Inherited-form mention*barsgmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*barsazgem-pro
Cognate mentionbaarsnl
Cognate mentionBarschde

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "bars"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English bars"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "bærs",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a fish, perch"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English bærs (“a fish, perch”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*bars"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *bars"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*barsaz",
        "4": "",
        "5": "perch",
        "lit": "prickly"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *barsaz (“perch”, literally “prickly”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "baars",
        "3": "",
        "4": "perch, bass"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch baars (“perch, bass”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Barsch",
        "3": "",
        "4": "perch"
      },
      "expansion": "German Barsch (“perch”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "bars",
      "bars#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "bærs",
      "bærs#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*bars",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/bars"
    ],
    [
      "*barsaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/barsaz"
    ],
    [
      "baars",
      "baars#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Barsch",
      "Barsch#German"
    ],
    [
      "bass",
      "bass#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The perch; any of various marine and freshwater fish resembling the perch."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "0a04041be160856ab90d4510044c0e5f940513b43539ddbd95dbebced2db43a1",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a33749975a66af64f40fd3330a99a69792865a000c6c404e87e1a3532b77a9f0",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1804578
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

The perineum of a man.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Blend of balls + arse.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Blend componentballsen
Blend componentarseen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "blend",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "balls",
        "3": "arse"
      },
      "expansion": "Blend of balls + arse"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "balls",
      "balls#English"
    ],
    [
      "arse",
      "arse#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The perineum of a man."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "slang",
        "vulgar"
      ],
      "recordId": "e9782dfec7dae52bc0ac96b8132af8ead3830e30a864fd592dceddb6050df508",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dd31d94e8a8817229fd48b5acd9db571c47bcbc3a343f1f42587112a57e31cd6",
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for barse →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YmFyc2U