barricade

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbæɹɪkeɪd/, /ˌbæɹɪˈkeɪd/ (UK); /ˈbæɹɪkeɪd/, /ˌbæɹɪˈkeɪd/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French barricade,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from barrique “barrel, cask”,^[2][3][5][6] which Etymonline traces through Spanish barricada “made of barrels”.^[4][3] Barnhart notes that the English verb (1592) is recorded before the noun (1642),^[3][5] and that an earlier form barricado (1580s–1590) came from Spanish.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a verb, to block a passage with a barricade (1592).^[7][3][5]

Semantic evolution

The first barricades in the streets of Paris were made chiefly of barrels filled with earth and stones,^[3][6][4] and Etymonline links the word's association with revolution to the riots of 1588.^[4] The literal sense of a hastily built street obstruction spread to any barrier, physical or figurative.^[7][2][5]

Timeline

• 1580s – barricado, with a Spanish ending.^[4][3]
• 1592 – verb, to block with a barricade.^[7][3][5]
• 1642 – noun, an obstruction thrown up against an enemy.^[7][3][5]
• 1657 – to shut in or defend with a barricade.^[7]
• before 1735 – any barrier.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A barrier put up quickly across a street or passage to stop an enemy.
2. Any obstacle that blocks the way.

Verb

1. To block off with a barricade.
2. To shut someone in or out with a barricade.

Word family

• barricader

Related words

• barrel
• barricado

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press