Barren

Barren Bar"ren (b[a^]r"ren), a. [OE. barein, OF. brehaing, fem. brehaigne, baraigne, F. br['e]haigne; of uncertain origin; cf. Arm. br['e]kha[~n], markha[~n], sterile; LL. brana a sterile mare, principally in Aquitanian and Spanish documents; Bisc. barau, baru, fasting.] 1. Incapable of producing offspring; producing no young; sterile; -- said of women and female animals. [1913 Webster]

She was barren of children. --Bp. Hall. [1913 Webster]

2. Not producing vegetation, or useful vegetation; sterile. ``Barren mountain tracts.'' --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]

3. Unproductive; fruitless; unprofitable; empty. [1913 Webster]

Brilliant but barren reveries. --Prescott. [1913 Webster]

Some schemes will appear barren of hints and matter. --Swift. [1913 Webster]

4. Mentally dull; stupid. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

{Barren flower}, a flower which has only stamens without a pistil, or which has neither stamens nor pistils.

{Barren Grounds} (Geog.), a vast tract in British America northward of the forest regions.

{Barren Ground bear} (Zo["o]l.), a peculiar bear, inhabiting the Barren Grounds, now believed to be a variety of the brown bear of Europe.

{Barren Ground caribou} (Zo["o]l.), a small reindeer ({Rangifer Gr[oe]nlandicus}) peculiar to the Barren Grounds and Greenland. [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Synonyms:

Unprolific, sterile, childless, infecund, incapable of bearing offspring / Destitute of fruit, sterile, acarpous / Unfertile, unproductive, sterile, poor, bare / Ineffectual, uninstructive, unsuggestive, infecund, leading to nothing, unproductive

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Barren — as a place name can refer to: *Barren County, Kentucky *Barren Island (Andaman Islands) *Barren Island, Brooklyn *Barren River LakeBarren can also refer to: *Barren County (album) *Barren County Progress *Barren Realms Elite *Barren Strawberry… … Wikipedia
barren — [bar′ən, ber′ən] adj. [ME barain < OFr baraigne, brehaigne, orig. used of land] 1. that cannot produce offspring; sterile [a barren woman] 2. not bearing or pregnant at the regular time: said of animals or plants 3. not producing crops or… … English World dictionary
barren — I adjective arid, bare, childless, desolate, disused, empty, fallow, fruitless, functionless, idle, impotent, inactive, inane, infecund, infertile, insufficient, issueless, nonfertile, nonproducing, nonproductive, profitless, scarce, shallow,… … Law dictionary
barren — (adj.) c.1200, from O.Fr. baraigne, baraing sterile, barren (12c.), perhaps originally brahain, of obscure derivation, perhaps from a Germanic language. In England, originally used of women, of land in France. Of land in English from late 14c. As … Etymology dictionary
barren of — formal : not having (something) : ↑without a hillside barren of trees • • • Main Entry: ↑barren … Useful english dictionary
Barren — Bar ren, n. 1. A tract of barren land. [1913 Webster] 2. pl. Elevated lands or plains on which grow small trees, but not timber; as, pine barrens; oak barrens. They are not necessarily sterile, and are often fertile. [Amer.] J. Pickering. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Barren [1] — Barren, 1) Canton im südlichen Theile des Staates Kentucky in den Vereinigten Staaten; Flächeninhalt etwa 23 QM.; Boden wellenförmig, in einigen Theilen hügelig, ziemlich fruchtbar. Es finden sich Schwefel u. Salzquellen, u. der Canton besitzt… … Pierer's Universal-Lexikon
Barren [2] — Barren (Mehrzahl Barrens), Bezeichnung für »unfruchtbare« Landstriche in Nordamerika; so besonders für die ursprünglich steppenhaften Hochflächen in Kentucky, auf denen heute erfolgreich Tabak gebaut wird; die kiefernbestandenen Sandebenen in… … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon
Barren [2] — Barren, Turngerät aus zwei parallelen, horizontalen, auf je zwei gleich! hohen Stützen ruhenden Hölzern (Holmen). Höhe und Abstand der Holmen richten sich nach den verschiedenen Altersstufen, von denen das Gerät benutzt wird Gegenwärtig benutzt… … Lexikon der gesamten Technik
barren — [adj1] unable to support growth arid, depleted, desert, desolate, dry, effete, empty, fallow, fruitless, impotent, impoverished, infecund, infertile, parched, sterile, unbearing, uncultivable, unfertile, unfruitful, unproductive, waste; concepts… … New thesaurus

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Barren

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Barren

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