bark

¹

[ bahrk ]

noun

1. the abrupt, harsh, explosive cry of a dog.
2. a similar sound made by another animal, as a fox.
3. a short, explosive sound, as of firearms:

   the bark of a revolver.

4. a brusque order, reply, etc.:

   The foreman's bark sent the idlers back to their machines.

5. a cough.

verb (used without object)

1. (of a dog or other animal) to utter an abrupt, explosive cry or a series of such cries.
2. to make a similar sound:

   The big guns barked.

3. to speak or cry out sharply or gruffly:

   a man who barks at his children.

4. Informal. to advertise a theater performance, carnival sideshow, or the like, by standing at the entrance and calling out to passersby.
5. to cough.

verb (used with object)

1. to utter in a harsh, shouting tone:

   barking orders at her subordinates.

   Synonyms: bawl, roar, yell, bellow, shout

bark

²

[ bahrk ]

noun

1. the external covering of the woody stems, branches, and roots of plants, as distinct and separable from the wood itself.
2. Tanning. a mixture of oak and hemlock barks.
3. candy, usually of chocolate with large pieces of nuts, made in flat sheets.

verb (used with object)

1. to rub off or scrape the skin of, as by bumping into something:

   to bark one's shins.

2. to remove a circle of bark from; girdle.
3. to cover, enclose, or encrust with or as if with bark.
4. to treat with a bark infusion; tan.
5. to strip the bark from; peel.

bark

³

or barque

[ bahrk ]

noun

1. Nautical. a sailing vessel having three or more masts, square-rigged on all but the aftermost mast, which is fore-and-aft-rigged.
2. Literary. a boat or sailing vessel.

bark

¹

/ bɑːk /

noun

1. the loud abrupt usually harsh or gruff cry of a dog or any of certain other animals
2. a similar sound, such as one made by a person, gun, etc
3. his bark is worse than his bite
   he is bad-tempered but harmless

verb

1. intr (of a dog or any of certain other animals) to make its typical loud abrupt cry
2. intr (of a person, gun, etc) to make a similar loud harsh sound
3. to say or shout in a brusque, peremptory, or angry tone

   he barked an order

4. informal.
   to advertise (a show, merchandise, etc) by loudly addressing passers-by
5. bark up the wrong tree informal.
   to misdirect one's attention, efforts, etc; be mistaken

bark

²

/ bɑːk /

noun

1. a protective layer of dead corky cells on the outside of the stems of woody plants
2. any of several varieties of this substance that can be used in tanning, dyeing, or in medicine
3. an informal name for cinchona

verb

1. to scrape or rub off skin, as in an injury
2. to remove the bark or a circle of bark from (a tree or log)
3. to cover or enclose with bark
4. to tan (leather), principally by the tannins in barks

bark

³

/ bɑːk /

noun

1. a variant spelling (esp US) of barque

bark

/ bärk /

1. The protective outer covering of the trunk, branches, and roots of trees and other woody plants. Bark includes all tissues outside the vascular cambium. In older trees, bark is usually divided into inner bark, consisting of living phloem, and outer bark, consisting of the periderm (the phelloderm, cork cambium, and cork) and all the tissues outside it. The outer bark is mainly dead tissue that protects the tree from heat, cold, insects, and other dangers. The appearance of bark varies according to the manner in which the periderm forms, as in broken layers or smoother rings. Bark also has lenticels, porous corky areas that allow for the exchange of water vapor and gases with the interior living tissues.

Other Words From

• barkless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bark¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English berken, beorken, borken, barke, Old English beorcan; akin to Old English borcian “to bark,” Old Norse berkja “to bluster, boast,” Lithuanian burgė́ti “to growl, quarrel,” Serbo-Croatian br̀gljati “to murmur”

Origin of bark²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old Norse bǫrkr (genitive barkar )

Origin of bark³

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English barke, from Old French barque, ultimately from Late Latin barca “small boat, barge, bark”; akin to Latin bāris, from Greek bâris “Egyptian flat-bottomed boat, raft, barge,” from Coptic barī “boat, barge”

Word History and Origins

Origin of bark¹

Old English beorcan ; related to Lithuanian burgěti to quarrel, growl

Origin of bark²

C13: from Old Norse börkr ; related to Swedish, Danish bark , German Borke ; compare Old Norse björkr birch

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. bark at the moon, to protest in vain:

   Telling her that she's misinformed is just barking at the moon.

2. bark up the wrong tree, to assail or pursue the wrong person or object; misdirect one's efforts:

   If he expects me to get him a job, he's barking up the wrong tree.

More idioms and phrases containing bark

• talk one's arm off (the bark off a tree)

Example Sentences

But the dog — Mushie — has yet to turn up and the determined couple are now having to endure scam calls and pranksters barking into the phone line.

From Los Angeles Times

A dog at the next table barks insistently, irate that its owner has abandoned it for the brunch spread.

From Los Angeles Times

Other sounds, be it his wife popping chewing gum or a neighbour's dog barking, and some smells, such as congealed fat or grease, and sights such as fluorescent lights, have always made him very uncomfortable.

From BBC

“Tribute is paid to all grandmothers, great-grandmothers, mothers and traditional healers who in times past could cure everything from a broken heart to clinical illnesses with the help of herbs, flowers, bark, etc.”

From Salon

The couple had confronted the intruders on the front lawn of their home, after being alerted by the sound of their dogs barking.

From BBC

Related Words

• clamor
• cry
• growl
• grumble
• mutter
• roar
• snarl
• yell