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)

• poet
• minstrel

Examples of bard in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a bard best known for a series of love poems to his raven-haired beloved

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Thoughts come, too, about sleep, time, and men, those cretins, pilgrims, scholars, and bards. —Jane Alison june 17, Literary Hub, 17 June 2025

In other words, the Panthers were trying bard to enlist Sly’s talents and influence for their own purposes. —Timothy Crouse, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2025

In Russia, Aleksandr Dugin is a philosopher and bard of Putinism (with many fans in the United States). —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 21 Apr. 2025

Pairing the berserker with the ranger or bard, who can power up party members and weaken enemies, makes for a good team composition. —Jordan Moreau, Variety, 18 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for bard

• barred
• card
• chard
• charred
• guard
• hard
• jarred
• lard
• marred
• nard
• scarred
• shard

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