/bahr"ee oh', bar"-/ ; Sp. /bahrdd"rddyaw/ , n. , pl. barrios /bahr"ee ohz', bar"-/ ; Sp. /bahrdd"rddyaws/ .
1. (in Spain and countries colonized by Spain) one of the divisions into which a town or city, together with the contiguous rural territory, is divided.
2. a part of a large U.S. city, esp. a crowded inner-city area, inhabited chiefly by a Spanish-speaking population.
[ 1890-95; barri of open country ( barr outside, open country + -i adj. suffix) ]