bark 1
(bärk)n.1. The harsh sound uttered by a dog.
2. A sound, such as a cough, that is similar to a dog's bark.
v. barked, bark·ing, barks
v.intr.1. To utter a bark.
2. To make a sound similar to a bark: "The birds bark softly, sounding almost like young pups" (Charleston SC News and Courier).
3. To speak sharply; snap: "a spot where you can just drop in ... without anyone's barking at you for failing to plan ahead" (Andy Birsh).
4. To work as a barker, as at a carnival.
v.tr. To utter in a loud, harsh voice: The quarterback barked out the signals.
Idiom: bark up the wrong tree To misdirect one's energies or attention.
[From Middle English berken, to bark, from Old English beorcan.]
bark 2
(bärk)n.1. The tough outer covering of the woody stems and roots of trees, shrubs, and other woody plants. It includes all tissues outside the vascular cambium.
2. A specific kind of bark used for a special purpose, as in tanning or medicine.
tr.v. barked,
bark·ing,
barks 1. To remove bark from (a tree or log).
2. To rub off the skin of; abrade: barked my shin on the car door.
3. To tan or dye (leather or fabric) by steeping in an infusion of bark.
4. To treat (a patient) using a medicinal bark infusion.
[Middle English, from Old Norse börkr.]
bark′y adj.
bark 3
also barque (bärk)n.1. A sailing ship with from three to five masts, all of them square-rigged except the after mast, which is fore-and-aft rigged.
2. A small vessel that is propelled by oars or sails.
[Middle English barke, boat, from Old French barque, from Old Italian barca, from Latin; akin to Latin bāris, Egyptian flatbottom boat, from Greek, from Egyptian byr, br.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
barking
(ˈbɑːkɪŋ) adv(intensifier): barking mad.
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
Bar•king
(ˈbɑr kɪŋ)
n. a borough of Greater London, England. 154,200.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.