barber

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barber^¹

/ˈbɑːbə/ UK
/ˈbɑɹ.bɚ/ US
/ˈbɐːbə/ Australia, New Zealand
/ˈbaɾbəɾ/ Scotland

Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)bə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

PIE word

*bʰardʰéh₂

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰers-?

Proto-Indo-European *bʰardʰéh₂

Proto-Italic *farðā

Latin barba

Old French barbe

Proto-Indo-European *-tōr

Proto-Italic *-tōr

Latin -(ā)tōrem

Old French -or

Old French -our

Anglo-Norman barbourbor.

Middle English barbour

English barber

From Middle English barbour, from Anglo-Norman barbour, from Old French barbeor, from barbe (“beard”), from Latin barba.

noun barbers

A person whose profession is cutting the hair and beards of usually male customers. There's also a barber's shop and that staple of railway stations up and down the UK - a WH Smith.
Similar: haircutter, hairdresser, hairstylist, tonsor, cutbeard
A barber surgeon, a foot soldier specializing in treating battlefield injuries.
Canada A storm accompanied by driving ice spicules formed from sea water, especially one occurring on the Gulf of St. Lawrence; so named from the cutting ice spicules.

verb barbers · barbering · barbered

transitive To cut the hair or beard of (a person).
intransitive (US, slang) To chatter, talk. ‘I shouldn't ought to barber with you. But when I like a guy, the ceiling's the limit.’

Barber^²

proper noun Barbers

countable, uncountable A surname originating as an occupation for a barber.
countable, uncountable A neighbourhood of Chico, Butte County, California.
countable, uncountable A township in Faribault County, Minnesota.
countable, uncountable Former name of Maurer, a neighborhood of Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
countable, uncountable An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Cherokee County, Oklahoma.
countable, uncountable A town in the north of Curaçao.
abbreviation, countable, ellipsis, uncountable Ellipsis of Barber County

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: barbershop, haircut, hairdressing, hairdresser, stylist, shave, hair, headwear, shaving, salon, lounge, barbarian, hakim, berber, barbour, barbier

Translations

Every language

noun person whose profession is cutting (usually male) customers' hair and beards

Español	barbero, peluquero, fígaro
한국어	이발사 ibalsa, 이용사 iyongsa
日本語	理髪師 rihatsushi, 床屋 tokoya
中文	理髮師 /理发师 lǐfǎshī
हिन्दी	नाई nāī
Kiswahili	kinyozi
Português	barbeiro
Français	coiffeur, coiffeuse, barbier
Deutsch	Barbier, Bartschneider, Bartscherer, Friseur
Italiano	barbiere, parrucchiere
Ελληνικά	κουρέας kouréas
Română	bărbier, frizer, coafor
Русский	парикма́хер parikmáxer, брадобре́й bradobréj, цирю́льник cirjúlʹnik, цирю́льница cirjúlʹnica
Tiếng Việt	thợ cắt tóc
العربية	حَلَّاق ḥallāq
עברית	סַפָּר sapár, ספרית saparit

verb to cut the hair

Português	barbear, cortar cabelo
Deutsch	frisieren, Haare schneiden
Ελληνικά	κουρεύω kourévo
Română	bărbieri, tunde
Tiếng Việt	cắt tóc, cạo mặt
العربية	حلاقَة
עברית	סיפר sipér

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MLA

"barber." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/barber. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

barber. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/barber

Chicago

"barber." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/barber.

BibTeX

@misc{barber_2026,
  title = {barber},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/barber},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}