barren

From Middle English barein, barain, from Old French baraigne, baraing (“sterile; barren”), of obscure origin; probably from a Germanic language, perhaps Frankish *bar (“bare; barren”), from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (“bare”). More at bare.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbæɹən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ærən
• Homophone: baron (in some accents)

barren (comparative barrener or more barren, superlative barrenest or most barren)

1. (not comparable) Unable to bear children; sterile.

   I silently wept as my daughter's husband rejected her. What would she do now that she was no longer a maiden but also barren?

2. Of poor fertility, infertile; not producing vegetation.
   • (Can we date this quote?) [[w:Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay|Thomas Macaulay]

     barren mountain tracts

   • 2014 December 23, Olivia Judson, “The hemiparasite season [print version: Under the hemiparasite, International New York Times, 24–25 December 2014, p. 7]”, in The New York Times‎:

     The druids […] believed that mistletoe could make barren animals fecund, and that it was an antidote to all poisons.

3. Bleak.
   • 1922, Michael Arlen, “Ep./4/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days:

     As they turned into Hertford Street they startled a robin from the poet's head on a barren fountain, and he fled away with a cameo note.

4. Unproductive; fruitless; unprofitable; empty.
   • (Can we date this quote?) William H. Prescott

     brilliant but barren reveries

   • (Can we date this quote?) Jonathan Swift

     Some schemes will appear barren of hints and matter.

   • 2011 September 2, Phil McNulty, “Bulgaria 0-3 England”, in BBC:

     Rooney had been suffered a barren spell for England with only one goal in 15 games but he was in no mood to ignore the gifts on offer in front of an increasingly subdued Bulgarian support.

5. Mentally dull; stupid.
   • (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare, Hamlet, III.ii. ca. 1602

     Set on some quantity of barren spectators to laugh too.

• sterile

• fertile
• fruitful

barren (plural barrens)

1. An area of low fertility and habitation, a desolate place.

   The pine barrens are a site lonely enough to suit any hermit.

• Barner

barren

1. deep

barren

1. third-person plural present indicative form of barrar

barren m

1. definite singular of barre

barren m

1. definite singular of barre

• IPA^(key): /ˈba.ren/

barren

1. Second-person plural (ustedes) present indicative form of barrer.
2. Third-person plural (ellos, ellas, also used with ustedes^?) present indicative form of barrer.

barren

1. definite singular of barr
2. definite plural of barr