Etymologically
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barricade

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 13 October 2026 at 15:53. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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
  • 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