bard

1
[ bahrd ]
See synonyms for bard on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. (formerly) a person who composed and recited epic or heroic poems, often while playing the harp, lyre, or the like.

  2. one of an ancient Celtic order of composers and reciters of poetry.

  1. any poet.

  2. the bard, William Shakespeare.

Origin of bard

1
1400–50; late Middle English <Celtic; compare Irish, Scots Gaelic bard,Welsh bardd,Breton barz<Indo-European *gwrs-do-s singer, akin to Albanian grisha (I) invited (to a wedding)

Other words from bard

  • bardic, adjective
  • bardish, bardlike, adjective
  • bardship, noun

Other definitions for bard (2 of 2)

bard2
[ bahrd ]

noun
  1. Armor. any of various pieces of defensive armor for a horse.

  2. Cooking. a thin slice of fat or bacon secured to a roast of meat or poultry to prevent its drying out while cooking.

verb (used with object)
  1. Armor. to caparison with bards.

  2. Cooking. to secure thin slices of fat or bacon to (a roast of meat or poultry) before cooking.

Origin of bard

2
1470–80; <Middle French barde<Southern Italian barda armor for a horse <Arabic bardaʿah packsaddle <Persian pardah covering
  • Also barde (for defs. 1, 3) .

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bard in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bard (1 of 3)

bard1

/ (bɑːd) /


noun
    • (formerly) one of an ancient Celtic order of poets who recited verses about the exploits, often legendary, of their tribes

    • (in modern times) a poet who wins a verse competition at a Welsh eisteddfod

  1. archaic, or literary any poet, esp one who writes lyric or heroic verse or is of national importance

Origin of bard

1
C14: from Scottish Gaelic; related to Welsh bardd

Derived forms of bard

  • bardic, adjective
  • bardism, noun

British Dictionary definitions for bard (2 of 3)

bard2

barde

/ (bɑːd) /


noun
  1. a piece of larding bacon or pork fat placed on game or lean meat during roasting to prevent drying out

  2. an ornamental caparison for a horse

verb(tr)
  1. to place a bard on

Origin of bard

2
C15: from Old French barde, from Old Italian barda, from Arabic barda`ah packsaddle

British Dictionary definitions for Bard (3 of 3)

Bard

/ (bɑːd) /


noun
  1. the Bard an epithet of William Shakespeare

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012