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barrer

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Etymology and origin of the French word barrer

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1144 Charroi de Nîmes More words from the 12th century
Ultimate origin
Vulgar Latin *barra
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French barre
English barre
Romanian bar
Romanian bară
French barrer
From the same root
French barrage ← barre

Pronunciation

Forms

barrer[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French barre + -er.[2][3][1][4] The noun barre is from Vulgar Latin *barra, a word of pre-Latin origin, perhaps from Gaulish *barro- (“end, top”), known only from names;[4][5][6] Bloch and Wartburg note that this meaning does not fit the Romance words well.[4][5][6]

Compare Occitan barrar, Spanish barrar and Italian barrare.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1144, in the Charroi de Nîmes, meaning “to strengthen with a bar”: Chars et charretes cheviller et barrer “to peg and bar carts and wagons”.[2] The sense “to close with a bar” is found in Wace (1100–1174): Les portes unt barrees “they barred the gates”.[2][8]

Semantic evolution

From “to close with a bar” came the figurative sense “to stand in the way of, oppose”, in law (1429) and in common use (15th century).[2][8] The sense “to close” is still very much alive in regional French (Burgundy, western France) and even more in Canadian and African French, where it covers some uses of fermer; in Quebec it also means “to lock a mechanism”.[8][9]

From the 13th century the heraldic sense “marked with bars” appears, and it spread to “to cross out with a line in order to cancel” (1690, Furetière).[2][8] In the 19th century the navy took the verb for handling the helm (1831), and it came to mean simply “to steer” (1900).[2][8]

In slang it is recorded in 1866 (Delvau), among cemetery stonemasons, for “to leave one's work”;[2][8] se barrer “to clear off” is recorded the same year and is the only use still alive, in familiar French.[2][8] The past participle gives the recent familiar phrase être mal barré “to be off to a bad start”.[8][10]

Timeline

  • 1144 – The Charroi de Nîmes uses it for strengthening with a bar.[2]
  • 1100–1174 – Wace uses it for barring gates.[2]
  • Late 13th century – Escu barré “barred shield” is recorded in heraldry.[2]
  • 1429 – The legal sense “to oppose” appears.[2][8]
  • 1690 – Furetière records the sense “to cross out”.[2][8]
  • 1831 – The nautical sense, of the helm, is recorded.[2]
  • 1866 – Delvau records the slang sense “to leave one's work”, and se barrer “to clear off” appears.[2][8]
  • 1900 – It means simply “to steer”.[2][8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (dated or regional) To close with a bar;[9][1][8] (Quebec, northern and western France) to lock: as-tu barré la porte ?[9][1][8]
  2. To block a road or passage;[10][9] barrer la route à quelqu'un, to bar someone's way, also figuratively.[10][9]
  3. (by extension) To thwart someone's plans.[9]
  4. (nautical) To steer a boat; also intransitively.[10][2]
  5. To mark with one or more bars.[10][2]
  6. To cross out or strike through a word or line;[10][1][8] chèque barré, a crossed cheque.[10][1][8]
  7. (slang, intransitive) To leave;[10][2][1] se barrer (familiar), to clear off.[10][2][1]
  8. Être mal barré (familiar): to be off to a bad start.[10][8][1]

Word family

  • débarrer

Usage notes

The origin of the slang sense “to leave” is uncertain.[2][3][8] The TLFi suggests the phrase partir de barres “to leave at once”, recorded by the Académie from 1762.[2] The Grand Robert and Rey see a specialisation of “to cross out, cancel”;[3][8] Rey also mentions the game of barres and a North African French use of Algerian Arabic barrâ “go away”.[3][8] The Grand Robert gives the slang verb a separate headword.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
  6. ^ a b Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 1, 255b
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Barrer.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/barrer. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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