'barding' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'barder', where 'barde' meant 'an armor or covering (originally for horses) or to wrap'.

'barder' in Old French passed into Middle English in forms such as 'barde' and 'bardynge', and eventually became the modern English noun and gerund 'barding'.

Initially, it referred to a covering or armor (especially for horses) and to the action of wrapping; over time it came to be used specifically for horse armour and, in a separate culinary sense, the technique of wrapping meat.