▪ I. bard, n.1
(bɑːd)
5–; also 6–7 (Sc.) baird, 6 barth, 6–7 bardh.
[a. Gael. and Ir. bàrd:—OCelt. *bardo-s poet-singer, minstrel (whence Gr. βάρδος, L. bardus, as alien words, ‘bardus Gallice cantor appellatur, qui virorum fortium laudes canit,’ Festus). In Eng. originally only an alien word from the mod. Celtic vernaculars, i.e. in Scotland bard, baird from Gaelic, in England barth, bardh from Welsh bardd, and bard from Irish, employed as in contemporary Celtic usage; first naturalized in Scotland, and then by no means appreciative in its use (see sense 2); afterwards, under the influence of the βάρδος, bardus of the classical writers, adopted in Eng. literature as a historical and poetic term.]
1. An ancient Celtic order of minstrel-poets, whose primary function appears to have been to compose and sing (usually to the harp) verses celebrating the achievements of chiefs and warriors, and who committed to verse historical and traditional facts, religious precepts, laws, genealogies, etc. Still the word for ‘poet’ in modern Celtic languages; and in Welsh spec. A poet or versifier who has been recognized at the Eisteddfod.
| c 1450 Holland Houlate, Sa come the Ruke with a rerd, and a rane roch, A bard out of Irland, with Banachadee! 1538 Leland ltin. V. 15 Peraventure Lleuys Morganne the Barth was deceivid in this. 1584 D. Powel Lloyd's Cambria 15 This word Bardh signified such as had knowledge of things to come. 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, iv. ii. 109 A bard of Ireland told me once, I should not live long after I saw Richmond. 1596 Spenser St. Irel. (J.), There is amongst the Irish a kind of people called bards, which are to them instead of poets: whose profession is to set forth the praises or dispraises of men in their poems or rhime. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. i. 421 The funerall song or Dump of a most ancient British Bard. [Note, Poet]. 1615 Val. Welshm. (1663) A iv b, Call with your silver tones, that reverend Bardh. 1627 May Lucan i. (R.) You bards securely sung your elegyes [fudistis carmina Bardi]. 1780 Burke Sp. Econ. Ref. Wks. III. 261 The invasion of King Edward and the massacre of the bards. 1879 Maclear Celts ii. 18 The Druidic order included..the Bards or ‘Glee-men.’ |
2. In early Lowland Scotch used for: A strolling musician or minstrel (into which the Celtic bard had degenerated, and against whom many laws were enacted); in 16th c. a term of contempt, but idealized by Scott by association with 4.
| 1449 Act 6 Jas. II (1597) §22 Gif there be onie that makis them fuilis and are bairdes, or vthers sic like rinnares about. 1457 Ibid. §80 Sornares, bairdes, maister-full beggers, or feinȝiet fuiles. ? a 1500 Kenneth's Stat. in Sir J. Balfour Patricks 680 All vagabundis, fulis, bardis, scudlaris, and siclike idill pepill, sall be brint on the cheek. c 1505 Dunbar Flyting 49 Irsche brybour baird, wyle beggar with thy brattis! 1609 Skene Rej. Mag. 135 Feinzied fooles, bairdes, rynners about..after sundrie punishments, may be hanged. 1805 Scott Last Minstr. Introd., The last of all the bards was he Who sung of Border chivalry. |
3. Applied to the early versifying minstrels or poets of other nations, before the use of writing, as the Old English gleeman, Scandinavian scald, etc.
| 1623 Cockeram, Bardes, ancient Poets. 1763 J. Brown Poetry & Mus. iv. 41 After a certain Period of Civilization, the complex Character of Legislator and Bard would separate. 1775 T. Warton Eng. Poetry I. Diss. i. 34 Various Islandic odes..which were sung by the Scandinavian bards. 1855 Milman Lat. Chr. II. iv. iv. 283 A Teutonic literature has begun; the German bards have become Christian poets. |
4. poet. A lyric or epic poet, a ‘singer’; a poet generally. [Chiefly after Lucan; quot. 1627 in 1.]
| [1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. iii. ii. 16 Hoo, Hearts, Tongues, Figure, Scribes, Bards, Poets, cannot Thinke speake, cast write sing, number: hoo, His loue to Anthony.] 1667 Milton P.L. vii. 34 That wild rout that tore the Thracian bard In Rhodopè. 1704 Pope Messiah 37 The Saviour comes, by ancient bards foretold. 1769 Garrick Song Wks. 1785 II. 427 For the bard of all bards was a Warwickshire Bard. 1809 Byron (title) English Bards and Scotch Reviewers. 1834 Cunningham Burns (1850) 154/2 The character of the Ayrshire bard. 1881 (title) The Bard of Avon Birthday Text-book compiled from Shakespeare's Plays and Poems. |
5. Comb., as bard-craft; bard-like adj.
| 1763 J. Brown Poetry & Mus. ix. 168 The first great Bard-like Character we meet with [in China] is Confucius. 1808 Scott Marm. Introd. 213 The keener rush of blood That throbs through bard in bard-like mood. 1820 T. Mitchell Aristoph. I. 205 Ye verse-smiths and bard-mechanicians. 1840 Browning Sordello ii, 312 Forswearing bard-craft. |
▪ II. bard, n.2 Obs. exc. Hist.
Also 5–6 barde.
[a. F. barde horse-armour, also ‘a long saddle for an ass or mule of canvas’ (Cotgr.); cf. It. barda horse-armour, also pack-saddle, and F. bardelle pack-saddle. These, and the existence of a dial. F. aubarde, seem to identify the word with Sp. and Pg. albarda pack-saddle, referred by Devic to Arab. al-bardaﻋah, i.e. al the + bardaﻋah ‘stuffed pack-saddle for ass or mule’ (Bocthor), ‘covering placed over the back of a beast to alleviate the pressure of a pack-saddle’ (Freytag). Whether the Fr. sense ‘defensive armour for a horse’ arose out of this is doubtful. Diez has compared ON. bard the beak of a ship, barði a beaked ship, a ‘ram,’ also (poet.) a shield. Also erroneously called barb, q.v.]
1. (Usually pl.) A protective covering for the breast and flanks of a war-horse, made of metal plates, or of leather set with metal spikes or bosses, but sometimes (e.g. in tournaments) merely ornamental, and made of velvet or other rich stuff.
| 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. vii. (1520) 82/2 Stedes..trapped with yron bardes. 1577 Holinshed Chron. III. 803/1 [The] bards of their horsses white veluet. 1611 J. Guillim Heraldry iv. xv. 232 The Shafron, the Cranet, and the Bard. 1727–51 Chambers Cycl. s.v., The barde is an armour of iron or leather, wherewith the neck, breast, and shoulders of the horse are covered. 1830 James Darnley xix, We shall find bards, if we want them. |
2. pl. Armour composed of metal plates, formerly worn by men-at-arms.
| 1551 Edward VI. Lit. Rem. (1858) II. 375 Men of armes..some with sleves and hauf cotes, some with bards and staves. 1570 Holinshed Scot. Chron. II. 129 A gentleman trimlie trapped with bards of steele. 1603 Florio Montaigne ii. ix. (1632) 225 A compleat French man at armes, with all his bards. |
3. Comb. bard-wise adv., as if with bards.
| 1577 Holinshed Chron. III. 801/2 The kings spare horsse trapped bardwise, with harnesse brodred with bullion gold. |
¶ By confusion (or misprint) for barb n.1 4.
| 1653 Consid. Dissolv. Crt. Chancery 24 To cure the Mallender, Farses, Trunchions, Bards..in a horse. |
▪ III. bard, n.3
(bɑːd)
[a. F. barde, in same sense, transferred from the armour barde; see prec.]
A thin slice of bacon used to cover a fowl, etc.
| 1706 Phillips New World Words (ed. 6), Menehout..a peculiar manner of baking Meat, cover'd with Bards, or thin Slices of Bacon, in an Oven between two Fires. 1725 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Neats Tongue, Bards or thin Slices of Bacon..Having covered the Tongues with other Beef-Stakes and Bacon Bards. 1736 Bailey Househ. Dict., Bards, broad slices of Bacon, with which pullets, capons, etc...are sometimes covered before they are roasted. 1960 Times 1 Aug. 9/3 Barding. Covering with thin slices of fat bacon or pork (bards), poultry, game or meat that is deficient in natural fat and is to be either oven or pot roasted. Bards are also used to line..a terrine. |
▪ IV. bard, v.1
(bɑːd)
Also 6 baird, bayrd.
[a. F. barde-r (15th c.), f. barde bard n.2 and n.3.]
1. To arm or caparison (a horse or man) with bards. (Chiefly in pa. pple.: cf. barded.)
| a 1521 Helyas in Thoms Prose Rom. (1858) III. 83 A good and mighty courser well barded and trapped. 1629 Holland Xenoph. Cyrop. (1632) 71 To unloose the horses..to bridle them..also to bard them. 1805 Scott Last. Minstr. i. xxix, Scarce half the charger's neck was seen; For he was barded from counter to tail. 1845 Blackw. Mag. LVIII. 775 The gallant bay charger barded with steel. |
2. To cover (a fowl, etc.) with slices of bacon.
| 1665 Mouffet & Benn. Health's Impr. (1746) 117 Whether roast Meat be best..larded, barded, scorch'd or basted. 1884 Phillis Browne in Girl's Own P. June 491/2 Cooks who are afraid to lard the breasts of game or poultry frequently content themselves with barding the same. |
▪ V. † bard, v.2 Obs.
[app. due to confusion of barb v. and beard.]
To clip; = barb v. 2.
| 1641 Termes de la Ley 61 To bard or beard wooll, is to cut the head and neck from the other part of the Fleece. 1693 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. 207 To Bard, or beard wool, extremitates vellerum tondere. |
▪ VI. † bard, ppl. a. Obs.
[short for barded; perh. influenced by barred.]
= barded 1, 2, barbed2.
| 1581 Styward Martial Discip. ii. 127 The armed men, as well bard as light. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcel xvi. x. 63 On bard horses [cataphracti equites]..harnessed all over with good corselets, and bard about [cincti] with guards of steele. 1627 Drayton Agincourt (1631) 11 Rich Sadles for the Light-horse and the Bard. |