bare
English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English bare, bar, from Old English bær (“bare, naked, open”), from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (“bare, naked”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰos-o-s, from *bʰos- (“bare, barefoot”). Cognate with Scots bare, bair (“bare”), Saterland Frisian bar (“bare”), West Frisian baar (“bare”), Dutch baar (“bare”), German bar (“bare”), Swedish bar (“bare”), Icelandic ber (“bare”), Lithuanian basas (“barefoot, bare”), Polish bosy (“barefoot”).
Adjective
bare (comparative barer, superlative barest)
- Minimal; that is or are just sufficient.
- a bare majority
- (Can we date this quote?) Addison
- the bare necessaries of life
- Naked, uncovered.
- I do wonder why keeping my little breasts bare can be lewd even as none tells my brother anything for being bare-chested.
- Having no supplies.
- a room bare of furniture
- The cupboard was bare.
- 2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, "," New York Times (retrieved 31 October 2012):
- Localities across New Jersey imposed curfews to prevent looting. In Monmouth, Ocean and other counties, people waited for hours for gasoline at the few stations that had electricity. Supermarket shelves were stripped bare.
- Having no decoration.
- The walls of this room are bare — why not hang some paintings on them?
- Having had what usually covers (something) removed.
- The trees were left bare after the swarm of locusts devoured all the leaves.
- (MLE, Toronto, not comparable) A lot or lots of.
- It's bare money to get in the club each time, man.
- With head uncovered; bareheaded.
- (Can we date this quote?) Herbert
- When once thy foot enters the church, be bare.
- (Can we date this quote?) Herbert
- Without anything to cover up or conceal one's thoughts or actions; open to view; exposed.
- (Can we date this quote?) John Milton
- Bare in thy guilt, how foul must thou appear!
- (Can we date this quote?) John Milton
- (figuratively) Mere; without embellishment.
- (Can we date this quote?) Macaulay
- Those who lent him money lent it on no security but his bare word.
- (Can we date this quote?) Macaulay
- Threadbare, very worn.
- (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare
- It appears by their bare liveries that they live by your bare words.
- (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare
Synonyms
- (minimal): mere, minimal
- (without a condom): Thesaurus:condomless
- (naked): exposed, naked, nude, uncovered, undressed
- (having no supplies): empty, unfurnished, unstocked, unsupplied
- (having no decoration): empty, plain, unadorned, undecorated
- (having had what usually covers (something) removed): despoiled, stripped, uncovered
Antonyms
Derived terms
- barefoot, barefooted
- ace bare
- bareback
- barebacked
- bare boards
- bareboat
- barebone
- bare bones
- bare-breasted
- bare-chested
- barefaced
- barehanded
- bareheaded
- bare-knuckle fight
- bareland
- barelegged
- barely
- bareness
- bare patch
- bareskin
- barish
- in one's bare skin
- king bare
- lay bare
- threadbare
- with one's bare hands
Translations
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Adverb
bare
- (Britain, slang) Very; significantly.
- That pissed me off bare.
- It's taking bare time.
- Barely.
- 2009, Allan Cole; Chris Bunch, The Wars of the Shannons:
- He finally came back to himself and asked why the furor. "Why," Lucy said, "because this is Christmas Eve. We have bare enough time to get ready for the ball, after dinner, as it is."
- 2011, Elizabeth Vaughan, Warprize:
- “I've bare enough for these two, much less fill your belly.”
-
- Without a condom.
- 2000, Northeast African Studies - Volume 7, page 119:
- While none of the participants had complete confidence in condoms, they continued to use them as a better alternative than “going in bare".
- 2002, The Society of Malawi Journal - Volumes 55-58, page 70:
- It would be fine to have these women bare, without condoms.
- 2010, M. L. Matthews, I Am Not the Father: Narratives of Men Falsely Accused of Paternity, →ISBN:
- I like to go bare. I don't like wearing condoms, actually I hate 'em.
-
Noun
bare (plural bares)
- (‘the bare’) The surface, the (bare) skin.
- 1599, John Marston, Antonio and Mellida
- In sad good earnest, sir, you have toucht the very bare of naked truth [...]
- 2002, Darren Shan, Hunters of the dusk: 7:
- Vancha clasped the bare of my neck and squeezed amiably.
- 1599, John Marston, Antonio and Mellida
- Surface; body; substance.
- (Can we date this quote?) Marston
- You have touched the very bare of naked truth.
- (Can we date this quote?) Marston
- (architecture) That part of a roofing slate, shingle, tile, or metal plate, which is exposed to the weather.
Etymology 2
From Middle English baren, from Old English barian, from Proto-Germanic *bazōną (“to bare, make bare”).
Verb
bare (third-person singular simple present bares, present participle baring, simple past and past participle bared)
Usage notes
The verb should not be confused with the verb bear.
Derived terms
Translations
Etymology 3
Inflected forms.
Verb
bare
- (obsolete) simple past tense of bear
- (Can we date this quote?) Bible, Josh. iii. 15
- The feet of the priest that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water.
- 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet Chapter 5
- And so I put thee on my shoulder and bare thee back, and here thou art in David's room, and shalt find board and bed with me as long as thou hast mind to
- (Can we date this quote?) Bible, Josh. iii. 15
References
- bare in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- bare in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
Danish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /barə/, [ˈb̥ɑːɑ]
Conjunction
bare
- I wish, I hope, if only
- 1979, Tove Ditlevsen, Vi har kun hinanden: To som elsker hinanden (→ISBN)
- Bare vi var alene.
- I wish we were alone.
- Bare vi var alene.
- 2014, Pernille Eybye, Blodets bånd #1: Blodsøstre, Tellerup A/S (→ISBN)
- „Bare jeg kunne blive hele natten," fortsatte han.
- "If only I could stay all night", he continued.
- „Bare jeg kunne blive hele natten," fortsatte han.
- 2013, Lyngby-Taarbæk Bibliotekerne, Tanker om tid: 15 udvalgte noveller, BoD – Books on Demand (→ISBN), page 43
- Bare jeg kunne spole tiden tilbage.
- If only I could turn back time.
- Bare jeg kunne spole tiden tilbage.
- 1979, Tove Ditlevsen, Vi har kun hinanden: To som elsker hinanden (→ISBN)
Manx
Middle Dutch
Etymology
From Old Dutch *bāra, from Proto-Germanic *bērō.
Declension
This noun needs an inflection-table template.
Descendants
- Dutch: baar
Middle English
Norwegian Bokmål
See also
- berre (Nynorsk)