Frederick Barbarossa fre·de·rick·barbarossa uncommon noun 1. Holy Roman Emperor from 1152 to 1190; conceded supremacy to the pope; drowned leading the Third Crusade (1123-1190) SynonymsFrederick IFrederick BarbarossaBarbarossa Related words Broader terms Holy Roman Emperor WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved.