[bare] adj bar.er ; bar.est [ME, fr. OE baer; akin to OHG bar naked, Lith basas barefoot] (bef. 12c) 1 a: lacking a natural, usual, or appropriate covering b (1): lacking clothing (2) obs: bareheaded c: unarmed
2: open to view: exposed 3 a: unfurnished or scantily supplied b: destitute "~ of all safeguards"
4. a: having nothing left over or added "the ~ necessities of life" b: mere "a ~ two hours away" c: devoid of amplification or adornment
5. obs: worthless -- bare.ness n syn bare, naked, nude, bald, barren mean deprived of naturally or conventionally appropriate covering. bare implies the removal of what is additional, superfluous, ornamental, or dispensable "an apartment with bare walls". naked suggests absence of protective or ornamental covering but may imply a state of nature, of destitution, or of defenselessness "poor half-naked children". nude applies esp. to the unclothed human figure "a nude model posing for art students". bald implies actual or seeming absence of natural covering and may suggest a conspicuous bareness "a bald mountain peak". barren often suggests aridity or impoverishment or sterility "barren plains".
[2]bare vt bared ; bar.ing (bef. 12c): to make or lay bare: uncover [3]bare archaic past of bear