I. ˈber adjective
( bar·er ; bar·est )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English bær; akin to Old High German bar naked, Lithuanian basas barefoot
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. : lacking a natural, usual, or appropriate covering
b.
(1) : lacking clothing
bare feet
(2) obsolete : bareheaded
c. : lacking any tool or weapon
opened the box with his bare hands
2. : open to view : exposed
laying bare their secrets
3.
a. : unfurnished or scantily supplied
a bare room
b. : destitute
bare of all safeguards
4.
a. : having nothing left over or added
the bare necessities of life
b. : mere
a bare two hours away
c. : devoid of amplification or adornment
the bare facts
5. obsolete : worthless
• bare·ness noun
Synonyms:
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 especially 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
II. transitive verb
( bared ; bar·ing )
Date: before 12th century
: to make or lay bare : uncover
III.
archaic past of bear