barn

barn · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₁erh₁-“to rest”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*razną
3. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*raʀn
4. Old English · derived fromberern
5. Old English · inherited frombearn
6. Middle English · inherited frombarn
7. English todaybarn

From Middle English barn, bern, bærn, from Old English bearn, bern, contracted forms of Old English berern, bereærn (“barn, granary”), compound of bere (“barley”) and ærn, ræn (“dwelling, barn”), from Proto-West Germanic *raʀn, from Proto-Germanic *razną (compare Old Norse rann), from pre-Germanic *h₁rh̥₁-s-nó-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁erh₁- (“to rest”). More at rest and barley. For the use as a unit of surface area, see w:Barn (unit) § Etymology.

barn · noun²

1. Old Norse · derived frombarn“child”
2. Old English · derived frombearn“child, son, offspring, progeny”
3. Middle English · derived frombarn
4. English todaybarn

From Middle English barn, bern, from Old English bearn (“child, son, offspring, progeny”) and Old Norse barn (“child”). Doublet of bairn. Cognate to West Frisian bern (“child, children”), Middle Dutch baren (“child”).

Barn · proper noun³

* Clipping of Barney. * Clipping of Barnett. * Clipping of Barnabas. * Clipping of Barnaby. * Clipping of Barnard.

Words from the same roots