barkless

1 of 2

adjective (1)

bark·​less ˈbärk-ləs 

of a dog

: marked by the absence of or inability to produce barking sounds : lacking a bark

When I was growing up, I had read a children's book where the family had a couple of these dogs and I had been fascinated by the fact that they were barkless.

—Linda M. Howard

The dog … was a basenji—a rare breed also known as "the barkless dog of the Congo."

—Pat Cahill

barkless

2 of 2

adjective (2)

of a woody plant or plant part

: lacking bark

… cavorting on the barkless cantilevered trunk of a dead tree …

—Jay Jacobs

The river was full of logs—long, slender, barkless pine logs—and we leaned on the rails of the bridge, and watched the men put them together into rafts.

—Mark Twain

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

bark entry 1 + -less

Adjective (2)

bark entry 3 + -less

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

1841, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (2)

1604, in the meaning defined above