bard

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈbärd 

1

a

: a tribal poet-singer skilled in composing and reciting verses on heroes and their deeds

b

: a composer, singer, or declaimer of epic or heroic verse

2

: poet

bardic

ˈbär-dik 

adjective

bard

2 of 3

noun (2)

ˈbärd 

variants or barde

: a piece of armor or ornament for a horse's neck, breast, or flank

bard

3 of 3

verb

barded; barding; bards

transitive verb

1

: to furnish (a horse's neck, breast, or flank) with a piece of armor or ornament : to furnish with bards (see bard entry 2)

2

[borrowed from French barder, verbal derivative of barde "strip of fat to cover meat," figurative use of barde "piece of armor for a horse, packsaddle"] : to dress meat for cooking by covering with strips of fat

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• minstrel
• muse
• poet
• poetaster
• rhymester
• rimester
• versifier

Examples of bard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Shane was the resident Celt-punk genius of The Pogues, one of the great Irish bards of his or any other era, which is why the world is mourning his death on Thursday. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2023

Lee Herrick clues in Times contributor Jim Ruland for a profile that marks the former Fresno Poet Laureate’s first year as chief bard of the state. —Boris Kachka, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2023

Regarded for his wrenching, joyful lyricism as a bard of all things Irish, Shane MacGowan – the singer-songwriter known mostly for his work as frontman of the Celtic punk phenomenon the Pogues – was truly a tender poet of universal concern. —A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023

Advertisement In direct contrast to the Homeric bards of epic, who entertained in return for hospitality and honor, the composer of an epigram worked for pay. —A.e. Stallings, The New York Review of Books, 17 Aug. 2023

The final group Bergeron and Bilodeau observed is the most haphazard: the bards. —WIRED, 9 Aug. 2023

As a brotherhood of nomads, the bards must have imbued their songs with a yearning for nostos: the homecoming that crowns a hero’s journey. —Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023

Odds are the world of capital-F fashion never gave a moment’s thought to Jimmy Buffett, the bard of Margaritaville, who died on Friday at 76. —Guy Trebay, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2023

Payne is the bard of dyspeptic middle-aged men, and no one plays such men better than Giamatti. —Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Scottish Gaelic & Irish

Noun (2)

borrowed from Middle French barde, going back to Old French, "packsaddle, saddle cover," borrowed from Arabic bardʽa (or borrowed from Italian barda in sense "piece of armor for a horse," borrowed from Arabic)

Verb

verbal derivative of bard entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1501, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bard

noun

ˈbärd

1

: a person in ancient societies skilled at composing and singing or reciting verses about heroes and their deeds

2

: poet

bardic

ˈbärd-ik

adjective