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.
Derivatives:
barrenly adv. barrenness n.
Etymology: ME f. AF barai(g)ne, OF barhaine etc., of unkn. orig.