barn
English · Français · Português · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
barn¹
- [ˈbɑɹn] Canada, US
- [ˈbɑɻn] Canada, US
- [ˈbaɹn] Ireland, Scotland
- [ˈbɒən] New York City
- [ˈbɒɹn] New York City
- [ˈbɑːn] General South African, UK
- [ˈbäːn]
- [ˈbɐ̞ːn]
Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)n
Where it comes from
From Middle English barn, bern, bærn, from Old English bearn, bern, contracted forms of Old English berern, bereærn (“barn, granary”), compound of bere (“barley”) and ærn, ræn (“dwelling, barn”), from Proto-West Germanic *raʀn, from Proto-Germanic *razną (compare Old Norse rann), from pre-Germanic *h₁rh̥₁-s-nó-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁erh₁- (“to rest”).
More at rest and barley.
For the use as a unit of surface area, see w:Barn (unit) § Etymology.
noun barns
- A building, often found on a farm, used for storage or keeping animals such as cattle. One day I was out in the barn and he drifted in. I was currying the horse and he set down on the wheelbarrow and begun to ask questions.
- A unit of surface area equal to 10⁻²⁸ square metres.
- An arena. Maple Leaf Gardens was a grand old barn.
- A warm and cozy place, especially a bedroom; a roost.
verb barns · barning · barned
-
To lay up in a barn.
But like still-pining Tantalus he sits / And useless barns the harvest of his wits
Similar: imbarn
barn²
- [ˈbɑɹn] Canada, US
- [ˈbɑɻn] Canada, US
- [ˈbaɹn] Ireland, Scotland
- [ˈbɒən] New York City
- [ˈbɒɹn] New York City
- [ˈbɑːn] General South African, UK
- [ˈbäːn]
- [ˈbɐ̞ːn]
Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)n
Where it comes from
From Middle English barn, bern, from Old English bearn (“child, son, offspring, progeny”) and Old Norse barn (“child”). Doublet of bairn. Cognate to West Frisian bern (“child, children”), Middle Dutch baren (“child”).
noun barns
-
A child.
Similar: bairn
Barn³
Where it comes from
* Clipping of Barney.
* Clipping of Barnett.
* Clipping of Barnabas.
* Clipping of Barnaby.
* Clipping of Barnard.
proper noun Barns
- A diminutive of the male given names Barney, Barnabas, Barnaby, and Barnett.
- A unisex given name transferred from the surname; diminutive of Barnard (“surname”).
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: granary, grange, farm, breadbasket, yard, stall, attic, stable, forebay, pigsty, swine, donkey, cabin, hut, shack, shed
Translations
Every language
noun building
| Español | galpón, pósito, trox, troj, troje, hórreo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 헛간 heotgan |
| 日本語 | 納屋 naya, 家畜小屋 kachikugoya |
| 中文 | 穀倉 /谷仓 gǔcāng, 糧倉 /粮仓 liángcāng |
| हिन्दी | खलिहान khalihān |
| Português | celeiro |
| Français | grange, fenil |
| Deutsch | Scheune, Scheuer, Stadel, Stall, Schuppen |
| Italiano | granaio, fienile, stalla |
| Ελληνικά | αχυρώνας achyrónas |
| Română | hambar, șură |
| Русский | ови́н ovín, амба́р ambár, сара́й saráj, гумно́ gumnó |
| Tiếng Việt | kho, vựa, lẫm |
| العربية | حَظِيرَة ḥaẓīra, زَرِيبَة zarība |
| עברית | אָסָם asám |
Talk about this word "barn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/barn. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. barn. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/barn "barn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/barn.Cite this
@misc{barn_2026,
title = {barn},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/barn},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
