Meanings
plural barbats · alternative barbud
- historicalAn ancient Persian plucked lute with a pear-shaped body, a flat belly, an angled back near the pegbox, and a fretless neck.
1 more example
MOHAMMAD REZA SHAJARIAN (Thursday) Renowned in his native Iran, the vocalist Mohammad Reza Shajarian has been performing since the 1960s, and is now widely considered one of the finest classical Persian singers in the world. Mr. Shajarian’s son, Homayoun Shajarian, will provide additional vocals and tombak (goblet drum), while Ensemble Ava, a four-piece, will contribute additional instrumentation on the ancient Persian instruments barbat (short-necked lute), tar (long-necked lute), kamancheh (spike fiddle) and daf (frame drum).
2008 May 30, The New York Times, “Pop and Rock Listings”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 09 Apr 2022
Origin
- Ancient Greekβάρβιτος
- Persianبربط
- Englishbarbat
Borrowed from Persian بربط (barbat, barbot), from Middle Persian, possibly from Ancient Greek βάρβιτος (bárbitos), an unrelated musical instrument.
More words from Persian, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Persian بربط
- بربط (barbat)ancient Persian plucked lute
Portuguese bárbito
- bárbitoancient Persian plucked lute
Russian барбет
- барбет (barbet)ancient Persian plucked lute
Cite this entry
barbat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barbat
“barbat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barbat. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “barbat,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barbat.
Source: barbat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.