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bard

nounPronunciation: /bɑːrd/

In Portuguese: barda

What does “bard” mean?

A poet, musician, or storyteller who recites verses celebrating heroic deeds, historical events, and emotional journeys.

Etymology

From Scottish Gaelic bàrd and Irish bard, from a Celtic word reconstructed as *bardos, "poet, singer", which the Greeks and Romans also recorded (Greek bardos, Latin bardus) as the name of the poets of the Gauls. In English from the late Middle Ages, at first in Scottish use, where it was often a term of contempt for wandering minstrels. The respectful sense of an inspired poet belongs to later literary use, and "the Bard" became a name for Shakespeare.

Usage note

Literary or humorous in modern English. With a capital letter, "the Bard" means Shakespeare. The word is also familiar as a character class in role-playing games.

Synonyms

  • poet
  • minstrel
  • troubadour
  • balladeer
  • singer

Often confused with

barred
Barred, the past form of the verb bar, sounds the same as bard in many accents but is unrelated.

Word family

  • bardic
  • bardolatry

Rhymes with

  • card
  • guard
  • hard
  • yard
  • lard
  • shard
  • regard
  • discard

Usage examples

  • A true survivor of any obstacle life can throw, a bard with many different soundtracks and a shy rapper ready to send you home with a 2nd place trophy.

Concept

Source editions

Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.

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Cite this entry

“bard”. Agency Wiki, Agency Brasil. Published on November 11, 2026. https://www.agencybrasil.com/en/wiki/dictionary/bard