barbary
/ˈbɑː(ɹ)bəɹi/ adjective, proper noun
Forms Barbarie
- adjective (obsolete) barbarian; non-Christian
- proper noun (historical) The Mediterranean coastal areas of North Africa that were used as a base by pirates in the 16th to 19th centuries.
Etymology
From Middle English barbarye (“barbarian, non-Christian”), from Old French [Term?] and Medieval Latin [Term?].
From Berber + -y, influenced by barbary (“barbarian, non-Christian”). See also Arabic بَرْبَرِيّ (barbariyy, “Berber”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The countries on the north coast of Africa from Egypt to the Atlantic. Hence: A Barbary horse; a barb. [Obs.] Also, a kind of pigeon. Barbary ape (Zoöl.), an ape (Macacus innus) of north Africa and Gibraltar Rock, being the only monkey inhabiting Europe. It is very commonly trained by showmen.
Etymology [Fr. Ar. Barbar the people of Barbary.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “barbary”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details