barre

or bar

[ bahr ]

nounBallet.
  1. a handrail placed at hip height, used by a dancer to maintain balance during practice.

Origin of barre

1
First recorded in 1945–50

Words Nearby barre

Other definitions for barré (2 of 2)

barré
[ bah-rey ]

noun
  1. Textiles. a pattern of stripes or bands of color extending across the warp in woven and knitted fabrics.

  2. Textiles. a streak in the filling direction when one or more picks are of a color different from that of adjacent picks.

  1. Music. a technique of playing a chord on a stringed instrument by laying a finger across the strings at a particular fret, raising their pitch.

Origin of barré

2
<French: literally, barred, past participle of barrer, derivative of barrebar1

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How to use barre in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for barre (1 of 2)

barre

/ French (bar) /


noun
  1. a rail at hip height used for ballet practice and leg exercises

Origin of barre

1
literally: bar

British Dictionary definitions for barré (2 of 2)

barré

/ (ˈbæreɪ) /


noun
  1. the act of laying the index finger over some or all of the strings of a guitar, lute, or similar instrument, so that the pitch of each stopped string is simultaneously raised: Compare capo 1

  2. the playing of chords in this manner

verb
  1. to execute (chords) in this manner

adverb
  1. by using the barré

Origin of barré

2
C19: from French, from barrer bar 1

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