Etymologically
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bardus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈbar.dʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈbar.dus][1]

Forms

bardus m (genitive bardī); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Gaulish bardos (“bard”), from Proto-Celtic *bardos, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerH- (“to praise”), the root of grātus.[1][2][3] The TLL compares Old Irish bard (“singer, poet”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler and Wiktionary date it from Lucan, who mentions the bards of Gaul in his epic on the civil war.[2][1][5] Köbler dates Lucan 39–65 AD.[2]

Semantic evolution

It was a poet and singer among the Gauls who sang the praises of brave men.[5] Festus explains it as the Gaulish word for a singer.[5][6] Ammianus Marcellinus also describes the bards.[5][6]

It was borrowed into French barde and Italian bardo.[1] English bard came from Scottish in the mid-15th century.[3]

Timeline

  • 39–65 AD – Lucan mentions the Gaulish bards.[5][2]
  • 2nd half of the 2nd century AD – Festus explains it as a Gaulish word for a singer.[5][2]
  • c. 390 AD – Ammianus Marcellinus describes the bards.[6][2]
  • mid-15th century – English bard is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A bard, a Gaulish poet and singer.[7][5]

Usage notes

A different adjective Latin bardus meant stupid or dull; it is found in Plautus and Cicero and is thought to be a loanword, perhaps from Etruscan.[8][7][6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill