Bard

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /bɑːd/

Definitions

1. A person who composes and recites poetry or songs, especially one who performed for royalty or nobility in medieval times
2. A creator and performer of poetry or songs typically associated with historical courts or noble audiences ; a traditional poet of Celtic cultures who composes and recites verses often orally
3. An individual skilled in crafting and delivering lyrical compositions often linked to early royal courts ; a Celtic figure known for oral poetry and storytelling passed through generations

Etymology: The Celtic word behind "bard" is older than English itself, and it meant simply "poet" or "praiser." Its ancestor, reconstructed as Proto-Celtic "bardos," traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "praise," which also gave Sanskrit "gṛṇāti" ("calls, praises") and Latin "grātus" ("grateful, pleasant"). Old Irish and Scottish Gaelic kept the word, where bards were the trained poet-singers who recited genealogies and praise of their patrons. English borrowed the word from Scottish Gaelic "bàrd," with the first recorded use around 1449. A separate Latin word, "bardus," which was itself borrowed from a Celtic language, also reinforced the form. That Latin usage gives the English word a second line of ancestry, so the Celtic and Latin paths converged on one spelling. The English word, though, came to be used mostly for ancient Celtic poets and for the poets of Britain generally, so its meaning narrowed to a poet who sings or recites in a traditional, celebratory style. French "barde," which English also drew on, shows how the word moved through the medieval languages of Western Europe.

Synonyms: poet, minstrel, singer, songwriter, troubadour

Antonyms: prose writer, non-poet, novelist, journalist, reporter