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

Long before filming on A Complete Unknown even began, those involved in Dylan’s records and publishing wondered what impact a film starring Timothée Chalamet as the bard would have on his streaming and record sales. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2025

The Witcher: Blood Origin’s reshoots included a beefed-up role for Jaskier, and Sirens of the Deep is, among other things, an origin story rooted in the bard’s difficult childhood. —Scott Meslow, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2025

Performance poetry, or spoken word, is far from an entirely new art form; its roots can be traced to the oral poetry of Ancient Greece and the bards commonly found in the Middle Ages. —David Silverberg, JSTOR Daily, 29 Jan. 2025

For Moscow’s liberal elite, the event amounted to a kind of antiwar rally: in the songs and remarks of the bards there were many direct hints at the current situation. —Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 13 Dec. 2022

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