Etymologically
Log in

bare

Etymology and origin of the English word bare

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
before 1000
Inherited from
Old English bær
Ultimate origin
Proto-Germanic (*bazaz)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bɛə/, /bɛː/ (UK); /bɛɹ/, /bɛɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old English bær (“naked, uncovered”),[2][3][4] from Proto-Germanic *bazaz,[3][5] source also of German bar, Old Norse berr and Dutch baar,[3][2] from PIE Proto-Indo-European *bhoso- (“naked”),[3][2] also the source of Lithuanian basas (“barefoot”), Old Church Slavonic bosŭ and Armenian bok, naked.[3][2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of the body, unclothed, naked: before 1000 in the OED, about 725 in Barnhart.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

Of natural objects such as earth and trees, without their covering, is from about 885,[6] and figuratively unconcealed from about 950.[6] Lacking proper furniture or equipment is from about 1200,[6] and sheer, absolute, as in the bare necessities, from about 1200, from the notion of complete in itself.[3] The verb, to uncover, is Old English barian.[3][2][6] Barely is from about 950.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 885 – of the earth, uncovered.[6]
  • before 1000 – naked.[6]
  • c. 950 – barely.[2]
  • c. 1200 – mere, sheer.[3]
  • c. 1200 – unfurnished.[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Without clothing or covering; naked.
  2. Without the usual furnishings or contents; empty.
  3. Plain and simple, without addition: the bare facts.
  4. Just enough; minimal: the bare minimum.

Verb

  1. To uncover or reveal: bared its teeth.

Word family

  • bareness
  • barish
  • bare-root
  • barefisted
  • bareback
  • bareboat
  • barefaced
  • barefoot

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

  • brazen · also from Old English
  • brat · also from Old English
  • something · also from Old English
  • spring · also from Old English
  • game · also from Old English
  • end · also from Old English
  • school · also from Old English
  • without · also from Old English
Cite this entry

“Bare.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/bare. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·