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

Noun (1)

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Later in the year, the celebration continued with the release of 12 D&D Minifigures, including an elf bard, a dwarf barbarian and a witch queen. —Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2024

Perhaps no other bard has captured the sentiments of Ukraine and its emigrants as fully as Taras Shevchenko. Shared Collections 13 Ways of Looking at Edna St. Vincent Millay Poet, lover, outspoken political activist. —JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024

Displaced by war, these Ukrainian amateur actors play their blood-red version of the bard’s toughest tragedy for the Royal Shakespeare Company. —Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2024

Strike with your fighter, backstab with the rogue, fling a spell from the wizard, and have your bard reset the fighter's cooldown, all while a baddie very slowly winds up and swings at random party members. —Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 11 May 2024

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