From Middle English berwe, bergh, from Old English beorg (“mountain, hill, mound, barrow, burial place”), from Proto-West Germanic *berg, from Proto-Germanic *bergaz (“hill, mountain”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰérǵʰos (“hill”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to rise up, ascend; to be elevated, up high”). Doublet of berg and bergh.
Cognates
Cognate with Scots burrow (“mound, tumulus, barrow”), North Frisian Bārig, beerch, beeri, beerj, berag, berig, berri, bärj (“mountain”), Saterland Frisian Bierich, Bíerig, Bäirch (“mountain”), West Frisian berch (“mountain”), Cimbrian pèrge (“mountain”), Dutch berg (“mountain”), German Berg (“mountain”), German Low German Barg (“mountain”), Limburgish berg, Bärrech (“hill, mountain”), Luxembourgish Bierg (“mountain”), Mòcheno pèrg (“mountain”), Yiddish באַרג (barg, “mountain”), Danish bjerg (“mountain”), Elfdalian bjärr (“hill, mountain”), Faroese berg, bjarg (“cliff”), bjørg (“cliffs”), Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish berg (“mountain”); also Northern Luri برگ (berg, “mountain”), Polish brzeg (“bank, shore”), Russian бе́рег (béreg, “bank, shore”).
Meanings
(obsolete) A mountain.
(UK) A hill.
A mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves.
“Will you ask our oldest warriors to build me a barrow?” 1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 47:
nl grafheuvel (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · ga créthulach adhlactha (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · ga barra adhlactha (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · pt túmulo (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · zza tumulus (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · pt anta (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · bg гробна могила (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · gl anta (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · mhn Pergh (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · cmn 古墓 (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · it tumulo (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · gsw Bèèrg (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · gl túmulo (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · sh mogila (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · da dysse (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · cs mohyla (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · pl kopiec (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · frr beerg (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · mk могила (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · gsw Bearg (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · nl tumulus (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · ko 봉분 (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · bar Bearg (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · cmn 墳塚 /坟冢 (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · ru моги́льный холм (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · zza kopek (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · ru курга́н (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · gmw-cfr Bärrsch (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · crh bayır (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · pl kurhan (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · fr tumulus (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · da gravhøj (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · gl mámoa (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · de Grabhügel (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · nl grafterp (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · fi hautakumpu (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · gsw Barg (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · eo tumulo (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · id kubur prasejarah (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · da stendysse (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · gsw Bàrig (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · la tumulus (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · ms monggok (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · da kæmpehøj (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · ba уба (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave) · ca túmul (mound of earth and stones raised over a grave)
barrow en · NOUN · etymology 2
Pronunciation
bărʹō
/ˈbaɾo/ (Scotland)
/ˈbæɹoʊ/ (US, dialectal) without the Mary–marry–merry merger
From Middle English barowe, barwe, barewe, from Old English bearwe (“basket, handbarrow”), from Proto-West Germanic *barwā, *barwijā, from Proto-Germanic *barwǭ, *barwijǭ (“stretcher, bier”) (compare Low German Berwe, Old Norse barar (plural), Middle High German radebere (“wheelbarrow”)), from *beraną (“to bear”). More at bear.
Meanings
(UK) A small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand.
The turmoil went on—no rest, no peace. […] It was nearly eleven o'clock now, and he strolled out again. In the little fair created by the costers' barrows the evening only seemed beginning; and the naphtha flares made one's eyes ache, the men's voices grated harshly, and the girls' faces saddened one. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
In contrast, the Westminster Gazette in 1912 was much more positive about railway staff, praising the "...army of porters hustling and bustling hither and thither with barrows groaning under the weight of bags and baggage and... the ever-patient and long-suffering guards, courteously giving information and advice to the querulous passengers... to the porter the Christmas season means a continuous round of heavy labour, extremely tiring to both nerves and temper, and this fact the public too often seem either to forget or ignore." 2022 December 14, David Turner, “The Edwardian Christmas getaway...”, in RAIL, number 972, page 35:
ga bara (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · da trillebør (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · as ঠেলাগাড়ী (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · es carrucha (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · nl kruiwagen (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · as ঠেলা (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · nl duwkar (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · da trækvogn (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · bg ръчна количка (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · hy սայլակ (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · pt carrinho de mão (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · de Karre (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · oc carriòla (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · it carretto (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · nl steekkar (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · fi kärry (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · es carretilla (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · gl cozo (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · io brueto (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · oc carriòl (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · pl taczki (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · pl taczka (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · nl kar (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · de Karren (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · ru та́чка (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · fr brouette (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · hu talicska (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand) · cs ruční vozík (small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand)
barrow en · NOUN · etymology 3
Pronunciation
bărʹō
/ˈbaɾo/ (Scotland)
/ˈbæɹoʊ/ (US, dialectal) without the Mary–marry–merry merger
From Middle English barow, bareȝ, bareh, from Old English bearg, bearh (“boar”), from Proto-West Germanic *barug, *barah, from Proto-Germanic *barugaz, *barahaz. Cognate with Old Frisian barch, Old Saxon barug, Old High German barug (German Borg), Old Norse bǫrgr.
Meanings
(qualifier:obsolete except in scientific use and in some dialects) A castrated boar.
From Middle English *berwe, *borwe, *bergh (attested in hamberwe and berwham (“horse-collar”)), from Middle English berwen (“to protect”), from Old English beorgan (“to protect”).