barbarian
Translation
barbarian, savage, uncivilised person
Examples
The Romans considered other cultures to be barbarians.
The Romans considered other cultures to be barbarians.
His table manners were those of a barbarian.
His table manners were those of a barbarian.
Grammar Patterns
((sb.)) is a barbarian ((sb.)) is an uncivilised person His table manners were those of a barbarian.
Similar Words
Synonyms: savage, brute; Antonyms: civilised person, gentleman
Etymology
From Greek 'barbaros' (foreign, strange), from the sound 'bar-bar' which the Greeks thought foreign languages sounded like.
Memory Tips
Imagine the sound 'bar-bar', like someone mumbling an unknown language. This is how the ancient Greeks described foreigners, leading to 'barbarian'.