different between barren vs barken

English

Etymology

From Middle English barein, barain, from Old French baraigne, baraing (“sterile; barren”), of obscure origin; probably from a Germanic language, perhaps Frankish *bar (“bare; barren”), from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (“bare”). More at bare.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?bæ??n/
• Rhymes: -ær?n
• Homophone: baron (in some accents)

Adjective

barren (comparative barrener or more barren, superlative barrenest or most barren)

1. (not comparable) Unable to bear children; sterile.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar:

     Forget not, in your speed, Antonius,
     To touch Calpurnia; for our elders say,
     The barren, touched in this holy chase,
     Shake off their sterile curse.

   I silently wept as my daughter's husband rejected her. What would she do now that she was no longer a maiden but also barren?

2. Of poor fertility, infertile; not producing vegetation.
3. Bleak.
4. Unproductive; fruitless; unprofitable; empty.
   • 1843, William H. Prescott, History of the Conquest of Mexico

     brilliant but barren reveries

   • Augusr 28, 1731, Jonathan Swift, letter to John Gay

     But schemes are perfectly accidental. Some will appear barren of hints and matter, but prove to be fruitful.
5. Mentally dull; stupid.
   • 1599-1602, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, III, ii

     Set on some quantity of barren spectators to laugh too.

Synonyms

• sterile

Antonyms

• fertile
• fruitful

Translations

Noun

barren (plural barrens)

1. An area of low fertility and habitation, a desolate place.

   The pine barrens are a site lonely enough to suit any hermit.

Translations

Anagrams

• Barner

Basque

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): /ba.ren/

Etymology 1

Adjective

barren (comparative barrenago, superlative barrenen, excessive barrenegi)

1. deep

Declension

Noun

barren inan

1. interior
2. guts, stomach
3. (figuratively) soul, spirit

Declension

Etymology 2

barren

1. A particle used to give certainty or emphasis.

Further reading

• “barren” in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia, euskaltzaindia.eus
• “barren” in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia, euskaltzaindia.eus

Catalan

Verb

barren

1. third-person plural present indicative form of barrar

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

barren m

1. definite singular of barre

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

barren m

1. definite singular of barre

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?baren/, [?ba.r?n]

Verb

barren

1. Second-person plural (ustedes) present indicative form of barrer.
2. Third-person plural (ellos, ellas, also used with ustedes^?) present indicative form of barrer.

Swedish

Noun

barren

1. definite singular of barr
2. definite plural of barr

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?b??(?)k?n/

Etymology 1

From bark +? -en.

Adjective

barken (not comparable)

1. (poetic) Made of bark.
   • 1871, John Greenleaf Whittier, "Nauhaught, the Deacon", in Miriam, and Other Poems

     barken knots

Etymology 2

From bark +? -en.

Verb

barken (third-person singular simple present barkens, present participle barkening, simple past and past participle barkened)

1. (intransitive, Britain dialectal, Scotland) To become hard or form a crust, like bark.
   • 1908, Sir Walter Scott, Guy Mannering, or, The astrologer:

     "The best way's to let the blood barken upon the cut — that saves plasters, hinney."

2. (transitive, Britain dialectal) To tan or dye with bark.

References

barken in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.barken in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• Banker, banker

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bark?n/, [?b?????n?]

Noun

barken c

1. definite singular of bark

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -?rk?n

Noun

barken

1. Plural form of bark

Anagrams

• braken

Middle English

Verb

barken

1. Alternative form of berken

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

barken m

1. definite singular of bark

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

barken m

1. definite singular of bark

Swedish

Noun

barken

1. definite singular of bark

Anagrams

• banker