English word origin

Etymology of barre

Borrowed from French barre. Doublet of bar.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

noun

A handrail fixed to a wall used for ballet exercises. · Ellipsis of barre chord.

verb

To form a barre chord on an instrument.

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

Borrowed from French barre. Doublet of bar.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionbarrefr
Doublet mentionbaren

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "barre"
      },
      "expansion": "French barre"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bar"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of bar"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "barre",
      "barre#French"
    ],
    [
      "bar",
      "bar#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A handrail fixed to a wall used for ballet exercises.",
        "Ellipsis of barre chord."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "ellipsis"
      ],
      "recordId": "285807b5f3e9f6cc566b640dc64a8b60f75783111bc89760a3bd114c0b9dbca4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e25081fd8d0e60876229e73b5ef278e82ef3b425229b25899c64c936ccd668c3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 227968
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To form a barre chord on an instrument."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "73b5702df3aded263a78630191867ea74df72816b2bb1e00fd60897aaa7d6512",
      "rawRecordSha256": "475edd451015928e88c113d55c849739f3bdb2397b9cc0ab20ab423463dba8bc",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 227969
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 barre →

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-YmFycmU