barre

or bar

[ bahr ]

/ bɑr /

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noun Ballet.

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

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Origin of barre

First recorded in 1945–50

Other definitions for barre (2 of 2)

barré

[ bah-rey ]

/ bɑˈreɪ /

noun

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

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

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

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use barre in a sentence

The dancer—and Balanchine's wife and muse—broke barriers for Native Americans at the barre and graced stages all over the world.
Farewell to America’s Ballerina: Remembering Maria Tallchief|Nina Strochlic|April 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In 1999, I was a junior in high school, and a big story in the small town of Barre, Vermont, as a suspected school shooter.
My Strange Passage From Suspected School Shooter to Prom Queen|Gina Tron|January 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Like with so many “weird kids,” I left most of my nasty cycle behind when I left Barre to go to college.
My Strange Passage From Suspected School Shooter to Prom Queen|Gina Tron|January 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Its chapter on HPV vaccines examines 13 kinds of reported problems, from multiple sclerosis to Guillain-Barre syndrome.
HPV Vaccine's Tricky Ethics|Sharon Begley|September 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Colonel Barre, so noted in the British parliament as an opponent to the American war, died.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
They located near one of the forts, upon a spot of ground which is at present covered by the city of Wilkes-Barre.
The Myths of the North American Indians|Lewis Spence
Between Barre and Montmorency I met, in a hired carriage, four men in black, who saluted me smilingly.
The Confessions of J. J. Rousseau, Complete|Jean Jacques Rousseau
There are several good old houses here: but I must content myself with the mention of one only in the Rue de la Barre.
Some Account of Gothic Architecture in Spain|George Edmund Street
The last records of conditions in the Wilkes-Barre coal regions confirm the fact of labor scarcity.
Mobilizing Woman-Power|Harriot Stanton Blatch

British Dictionary definitions for barre (1 of 2)

barre

/ French (bar) /

noun

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

Word Origin for barre

literally: bar

British Dictionary definitions for barre (2 of 2)

barré

/ (ˈbæreɪ) /

noun

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 raisedCompare capo 1

the playing of chords in this manner

verb

to execute (chords) in this manner

adverb

by using the barré

Word Origin for barré

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