barré

[bah-rey]

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 barre bar¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for barré

barré

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

barre

noun

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

Word Origin for barre

literally: bar

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

Word Origin and History for barré

barre

1876, in reference to chords played on a guitar, etc., from French, literally "bar" (see bar (n.1)).