debark

D2E1B3A1R1K5
UK/dɪˈbɑːk/US/di.bɑɹk/UK/diːˈbɑːk/

verb

To unload goods from an aircraft or ship.

Similar
disembarkset down
OriginFrench débarquer ← Old French des- →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

debark1

verbdebark (third-person singular simple present debarks, present participle debarking, simple past and past participle debarked)

present singular third person debarks · participle present debarking · participle past debarked · past debarked

  1. transitiveTo unload goods from an aircraft or ship.
  2. intransitiveTo disembark.

debark2

verbdebark (third-person singular simple present debarks, present participle debarking, simple past and past participle debarked)

present singular third person debarks · participle present debarking · participle past debarked · past debarked

  1. transitivebusinessTo remove the bark from a tree, especially one that has been felled.

    Lightning completely debarked a large oak tree and set fire to a mattress of [an] adjacent home; […]

    1975, Storm Data, page 18
    1 more example

    On these photographs, the wide strips can be seen debarked from a horse chestnut tree (left) and from a poplar (right). This seems to be typical for trees with high moisture content.

    2006, Tibor Horváth, Understanding Lightning and Lightning Protection: A Multimedia Teaching Guide, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 57

debark3

verbdebark (third-person singular simple present debarks, present participle debarking, simple past and past participle debarked)

present singular third person debarks · participle present debarking · participle past debarked · past debarked

  1. transitivebiologyTo devocalize (a dog).

Synonyms & antonyms

verbgo ashore

Similar
disembarkset down
Broader
landset down
Also see
alightdevocalizedisembarkset down

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

debark · verb

  1. Old Frenchdes-
  2. Frenchdébarquer
  3. Englishdebark

From French débarquer, from de- (Old French des-) + barque (“bark, small ship”).

More words from French, Old French

Full word history & related roots →

debark · verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*de
  2. Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
  3. Proto-Italic*dē
  4. Latindē
  5. Latindē-
  6. Englishde-
  7. Englishbark
  8. Englishdebark

From de- + bark (“covering of tree”).

Full word history & related roots →

debark · verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*de
  2. Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
  3. Proto-Italic*dē
  4. Latindē
  5. Latindē-
  6. Englishde-
  7. Englishbark
  8. Englishdebark

From de- + bark (“(of a dog) make the noise”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian свалям, стоварвам
  • свалям (svaljam)to unload
  • стоварвам (stovarvam)to unload
  • свалям кората (svaljam korata)to remove bark
Finnish purkaa, kuoria
  • purkaato unload
  • kuoriato remove bark
French débarquer, écorcer
  • débarquerto unload
  • écorcerto remove bark
Māori whakatākōkō, kūihi
  • whakatākōkōto remove bark
  • kūihito remove bark
  • ihito remove bark
  • ihi kirito remove bark
Russian выгружать, окорять
  • выгружать (vygružatʹ)to unload
  • окорять (okorjatʹ)to remove bark
Swedish barka
  • barkato remove bark

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with debark

parkmarkdarkclarkarcclerkremarksparkarkbarkstarkquarkembarklarkmarquesnarkharksarkStarkenarcdisembarkbarquecarkdemark
All rhymes →

Anagrams

barkedbrakedDrabekbedark
Cite this entry
APA

debark. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debark

MLA

“debark.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debark. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “debark,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debark.

Source: debark on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.