adj. & n.
adj. (barrener, barrenest) 1 a unable to bear young. b unable to produce fruit or vegetation. 2 meagre, unprofitable. 3 dull, unstimulating. 4 (foll. by of) lacking in (barren of wit).
n. a barren tract or tracts of land esp. (in pl.) in n. America. barrenly adv. barrenness n.
[ ME f. AF barai(g)ne, OF barhaine etc., of unkn. orig. ]