bare
English
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /bɛə(ɹ)/, /bɛː(ɹ)/, enPR: bâr
- (US) IPA(key): /bɛəɹ/, enPR: bâr
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
- Homophone: bear
Etymology 1
From Middle English bare, bar, from Old English bær (“bare, naked, open”), from Proto-West Germanic *baʀ, from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (“bare, naked”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰosós, from *bʰos- (“bare, barefoot”).
Cognate with Scots bare, bair (“bare”), Saterland Frisian bar (“bare”), West Frisian baar (“bare”), Dutch baar (“bare”), German bar (“bare”), Swedish bar (“bare”), Icelandic ber (“bare”), Lithuanian basas (“barefoot, bare”), Polish bosy (“barefoot”).
Adjective
bare (comparative barer, superlative barest)
- Minimal; that is or are just sufficient.
- a bare majority
- 1711 May 30 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison, “SATURDAY, May 19, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 69; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, OCLC 191120697:
- Nature indeed furnishes us with the bare necessaries of life, but traffic gives us a great variety of what is useful
- Naked, uncovered.
- 1961, Roald Dahl, James and the Giant Peach, Knopf, page 46:
- "I refuse to show myself out of doors in my bare feet," the Centipede said. "I have to get my boots on again first."
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- Having no supplies.
- a room bare of furniture
- The cupboard was bare.
- 2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, "," New York Times (retrieved 31 October 2012):
- Localities across New Jersey imposed curfews to prevent looting. In Monmouth, Ocean and other counties, people waited for hours for gasoline at the few stations that had electricity. Supermarket shelves were stripped bare.
- Having no decoration.
- The walls of this room are bare — why not hang some paintings on them?
- Having had what usually covers (something) removed.
- The trees were left bare after the swarm of locusts devoured all the leaves.
- (MLE, MTE, Yorkshire, slang, not comparable) A lot or lots of.
- It's bare money to get in the club each time, man.
- It's taking bare time.
- 2005 July 13, quoting Ryan, “‘We like the easy money. We like the lifestyle’”, in The Guardian:
- The phone would answer, we'd go round the corner, pass something to someone, go back and we'd have bare dough, we'd have bare money in our pocket.
- 2016 December 3, Millie B (lyrics and music), “Soph Aspin Send”, performed by Millie B:
- You shagged bare lads, you're a little sket / Have you heard your bars? They're fucking pept
- With head uncovered; bareheaded.
- [1633], George Herbert, “The Church-porch”, in [Nicholas Ferrar], editor, The Temple: Sacred Poems, and Private Ejaculations, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel; and are to be sold by Francis Green, […], OCLC 1048966979; reprinted London: Elliot Stock, […], 1885, OCLC 54151361, page 14:
- When once thy foot enters the church, be bare. / God is more there, then thou: for thou art there / Onely by his permiſſion.
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- Without anything to cover up or conceal one's thoughts or actions; open to view; exposed.
- 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […]”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J. M[acock] for John Starkey […], OCLC 228732398, line 903, page 56:
- Bare in thy guilt how foul muſt thou appear?
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- (figuratively) Mere; without embellishment.
- 1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, Chapter XII:
- Those who lent him money lent it on no security but his bare word.
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- Threadbare, very worn.
- c. 1590–1591, William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene iv]:
- for it appears, by their bare liveries, that they live by your bare words.
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- Not insured.
- 1987, 1 December, ABA Journal (page 86)
- Before the company was formed, the firm went bare for about three months in 1985, but it now has prior acts coverage for that time.
- 1994, David S. Haviland, The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice (page 310)
- That a firm chooses to go bare has no effect on whether it gets sued or not.
- 1987, 1 December, ABA Journal (page 86)
Synonyms
- (minimal): mere, minimal
- (without a condom): Thesaurus:condomless
- (naked): exposed, naked, nude, uncovered, undressed
- (having no supplies): empty, unfurnished, unstocked, unsupplied
- (having no decoration): empty, plain, unadorned, undecorated
- (having had what usually covers (something) removed): despoiled, stripped, uncovered
Antonyms
- (minimal): ample, plentiful, sufficient
- (naked): covered, covered up, dressed, unexposed
- (having no supplies): full, furnished, stocked, supplied, well-stocked
- (having no decoration): adorned, decorated, ornate
- (having had what usually covers (something) removed): covered
Derived terms
- ace bare
- bare-arse
- bare-assed
- bare-assed
- bareback
- barebacked
- bare-backed
- bare-bellied
- bare-bellied Joe
- bare boards
- bareboat
- barebone
- bare-boned
- bare-bones
- bare bones
- bare-boobed
- bare-bottomed
- bare-breasted
- bare-bum
- bare-butt
- bare-chested
- bare-eared squirrel monkey
- barefaced
- barefoot, barefooted
- bare-footed
- bare-footen
- bare hand
- barehanded
- bare-handed
- bare-handedly
- bare-handedness
- bareheaded
- bare-headed
- bare infinitive
- bare knuckle
- bare-knuckle
- bare-knuckle boxing
- bare-knuckled
- bare knuckled
- bare-knuckle fight
- bare knuckling
- bare-knuckling
- bareland
- barelegged
- bare license
- barely
- bare metal
- bare minimum
- bare navy
- bareness
- bare noun
- bare patch
- bare poles
- bare-shouldered
- bareskin
- bare-skin
- bare-throated bellbird
- barish
- in one's bare skin
- king bare
- lay bare
- lay bare one's soul
- pale-faced bare-eye
- threadbare
- with one's bare hands
Translations
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Adverb
bare
- (dialect) Barely.
- 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide
- The fiend had bare departed when Ailie came over the threshold to find the auld carline glunching over the fire.
- 2009, Allan Cole; Chris Bunch, The Wars of the Shannons:
- He finally came back to himself and asked why the furor. "Why," Lucy said, "because this is Christmas Eve. We have bare enough time to get ready for the ball, after dinner, as it is."
- 2011, Elizabeth Vaughan, Warprize:
- “I've bare enough for these two, much less fill your belly.”
- 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide
- (MLE, slang) Very; significantly.
- That pissed me off bare.
- That's bare stupid.
- (slang) Without a condom.
- 2000, Northeast African Studies - Volume 7, page 119:
- While none of the participants had complete confidence in condoms, they continued to use them as a better alternative than “going in bare".
- 2002, The Society of Malawi Journal - Volumes 55-58, page 70:
- It would be fine to have these women bare, without condoms.
- 2010, M. L. Matthews, I Am Not the Father: Narratives of Men Falsely Accused of Paternity, →ISBN:
- I like to go bare. I don't like wearing condoms, actually I hate 'em.
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Translations
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Noun
bare (plural bares)
- (‘the bare’) The surface, the (bare) skin.
- 1599, John Marston, Antonio and Mellida
- In sad good earnest, sir, you have toucht the very bare of naked truth [...]
- 2002, Darren Shan, Hunters of the dusk: 7:
- Vancha clasped the bare of my neck and squeezed amiably.
- 1599, John Marston, Antonio and Mellida
- Surface; body; substance.
- c. 1599 (date written), I. M. [i.e., John Marston], The History of Antonio and Mellida. The First Part. […], London: […] [R. Bradock] for Mathewe Lownes, and Thomas Fisher, […], published 1602, OCLC 670741281, (please specify the page):
- You have touched the very bare of naked truth.
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- (architecture) That part of a roofing slate, shingle, tile, or metal plate, which is exposed to the weather.
Etymology 2
From Middle English baren, from Old English barian, from Proto-Germanic *bazōną (“to bare, make bare”).
Verb
bare (third-person singular simple present bares, present participle baring, simple past and past participle bared)
- (transitive) To uncover; to reveal.
- She bared her teeth at him.
Usage notes
The verb should not be confused with the verb bear.
Synonyms
- (uncover): expose, lay bare, reveal, show, uncover; see also Thesaurus:reveal
Antonyms
- (uncover): cover, cover up, hide
Derived terms
- bare all
- bare it all
- bare one's heart
- bare one's breast
- bare one's soul
- bare one's teeth
Translations
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Etymology 3
Inflected forms.
Verb
bare
- (obsolete) simple past tense of bear
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, 1 Chronicles 15:15:
- And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon
- 1898, J. Meade Falkner, chapter 5, in Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934:
- And so I put thee on my shoulder and bare thee back, and here thou art in David's room, and shalt find board and bed with me as long as thou hast mind to
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References
- bare in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
- bare in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- Jonathon Green (2023), “bare adj.”, in Green's Dictionary of Slang
Anagrams
- Aber, Bear, Brea, Reba, bear, brae, rabe
Basque
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /baɾe/, [ba.ɾe̞]
Adjective
bare (comparative bareago, superlative bareen, excessive bareegi)
- calm
Declension
Declension of bare (adjective, ending in vowel) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | singular | plural | ||
absolutive | ||||
ergative | ||||
dative | ||||
genitive | ||||
comitative | ||||
causative | ||||
benefactive | ||||
instrumental | ||||
inessive | anim. | |||
inanim. | ||||
locative | anim. | — | — | — |
inanim. | ||||
allative | anim. | |||
inanim. | ||||
terminative | anim. | |||
inanim. | ||||
directive | anim. | |||
inanim. | ||||
destinative | anim. | |||
inanim. | ||||
ablative | anim. | |||
inanim. | ||||
partitive | — | — | ||
prolative | — | — |
Noun
bare anim
- slug
Declension
Declension of bare (animate, ending in vowel) | |||
---|---|---|---|
indefinite | singular | plural | |
absolutive | |||
ergative | |||
dative | |||
genitive | |||
comitative | |||
causative | |||
benefactive | |||
instrumental | |||
inessive | |||
locative | — | — | — |
allative | |||
terminative | |||
directive | |||
destinative | |||
ablative | |||
partitive | — | — | |
prolative | — | — |
Noun
bare inan
- spleen
Declension
Declension of bare (inanimate, ending in vowel) | |||
---|---|---|---|
indefinite | singular | plural | |
absolutive | |||
ergative | |||
dative | |||
genitive | |||
comitative | |||
causative | |||
benefactive | |||
instrumental | |||
inessive | |||
locative | |||
allative | |||
terminative | |||
directive | |||
destinative | |||
ablative | |||
partitive | — | — | |
prolative | — | — |
References
- “bare” in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], euskaltzaindia.eus
- "bare" in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy], euskaltzaindia.eus
- “bare” in Etymological Dictionary of Basque by R. L. Trask, sussex.ac.uk
Czech
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbarɛ/
Noun
bare
- vocative singular of bar
Danish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbaːrə/, [ˈb̥ɑːɑ]
Etymology 1
From the adjective bar (“naked”).
Adverb
bare
- just
- simply
- only, merely
Conjunction
bare
- I wish, I hope, if only (introduces a wish)
- 1979, Tove Ditlevsen, Vi har kun hinanden: To som elsker hinanden, →ISBN:
- Bare vi var alene.
- I wish we were alone.
- 2014, Pernille Eybye, Blodets bånd #1: Blodsøstre, Tellerup A/S, →ISBN:
- „Bare jeg kunne blive hele natten," fortsatte han.
- "If only I could stay all night", he continued.
- 2013, Lyngby-Taarbæk Bibliotekerne, Tanker om tid: 15 udvalgte noveller, BoD – Books on Demand, →ISBN, page 43:
- Bare jeg kunne spole tiden tilbage.
- If only I could rewind time.
-
- if only (introduces a conditional subclause)
Synonyms
- gid, om, hvis bare, kun
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Adjective
bare
- inflection of bar:
- definite singular
- plural
Dutch
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Verb
bare
- (archaic) singular present subjunctive of baren
German
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Adjective
bare
- inflection of bar:
- strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
- strong nominative/accusative plural
- weak nominative all-gender singular
- weak accusative feminine/neuter singular
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈba.re/
- Rhymes: -are
- Hyphenation: bà‧re
Noun
bare f
- plural of bara
Anagrams
- Arbe, Erba, ebra, erba, reba
Lithuanian
Noun
bare m
- locative/vocative singular of baras
Manx
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Adjective
bare
- best
Middle Dutch
Etymology
From Old Dutch *bāra, from Proto-West Germanic *bāru, from Proto-Germanic *bērō.
Noun
bâre f
- bier, stretcher
Declension
This noun needs an inflection-table template.
Descendants
- Dutch: baar
Further reading
- “bare (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “bare (IV)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page IV
Middle English
Etymology 1
From Old English bær, from Proto-West Germanic *baʀ, from Proto-Germanic *bazaz.
Alternative forms
- bar, bere
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /baːr/
Adjective
bare
- unclothed; naked, nude
Descendants
- English: bare
- Scots: bare, bair
- Yola: baar, baare
References
- “bār, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Noun
bare
- (Northern) Alternative form of bor
Miriwung
Verb
bare
- to stand
Northern Kurdish
Etymology
Compare Persian باره (bâre, “subject, issue”).
Noun
bare m
- topic
- hashtag
Derived terms
- di bareya ... de
Norwegian Bokmål
Adjective
bare
- definite singular of bar
- plural of bar
Adverb
bare
- only, merely, just
- but
Conjunction
bare
- if; as long as
See also
- berre (Nynorsk)
References
- “bare” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Anagrams
- aber
Norwegian Nynorsk
Adverb
bare
- (pre-2012) alternative form of berre
Serbo-Croatian
Noun
bare (Cyrillic spelling баре)
- vocative singular of bȃr
Noun
bare (Cyrillic spelling баре)
- inflection of bȁra:
- genitive singular
- nominative/accusative/vocative plural
Swedish
Adjective
bare
- absolute definite natural masculine singular of bar.
Anagrams
- aber