Link Centre Dictionary

Barbary

bar·bary

UK/ˈbɑː(ɹ)bəɹi/ US/ˈbɑrbɜri/ uncommon obsolete

noun

1.

a region of northern Africa on the Mediterranean coast between Egypt and Gibraltar; was used as a base for pirates from the 16th to 19th centuries

Origin

From Berber + -y, influenced by barbary (“barbarian, non-Christian”). See also Arabic بَرْبَرِيّ (barbariyy, “Berber”).

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.