barkiest
|bark-i-est|
🇺🇸
/ˈbɑrk.i.ɪst/
🇬🇧
/ˈbɑːk.i.ɪst/
(barky)
characterized by bark (sound or covering)
Etymology
'bark' (as the base for 'barky' and therefore 'barkiest') originates from Proto-Germanic roots and Old English. The verb sense (to utter a short, sharp cry) is imitative in origin and appears in Old English as forms like 'beorcan' or similar imitative forms, while the noun sense (the outer covering of a tree) comes from Old English 'birc'/'beorc' and Proto-Germanic '*barkaz' meaning 'outer layer'.
'bark' in Old English (noun 'beorc' for tree covering and imitative verb forms for the sound) developed into Middle English 'bark' or 'berken' for the sound and 'bark' for the tree covering; later English formed the adjective by adding the suffix '-y' to give 'barky', and the comparative and superlative were formed regularly as 'barkier' and 'barkiest'.
Initially, forms of 'bark' referred either to the tree's outer layer or were imitative sounds representing short sharp cries; over time English preserved both senses and allowed derivation into adjectives (e.g., 'barky') meaning 'resembling or producing bark', producing modern meanings such as 'prone to barking' or 'covered with bark'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
superlative form of 'barky'; most prone to or producing the greatest number of barks or short sharp sounds (often said of dogs, animals, or people with a harsh voice).
The barkiest dog on the block wakes everyone up at dawn.
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Adjective 2
superlative form of 'barky' when applied to plants or objects: having the most bark or being most noticeably covered with or resembling bark.
Of all the saplings, that one was the barkiest, its trunk rough and heavily layered.
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Last updated: 2026/01/17 02:05