barry

From French barré (“striped, barred”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɑː.ɹi/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɑɹ.i/
• Rhymes: -ɑːɹi

barry (plural barries)

1. (heraldry) A field divided transversely into several equal parts, and consisting of two different tinctures interchangeably disposed.

barry (comparative more barry, superlative most barry)

1. (heraldry, not comparable) Traversed (transversely) by bars.

   Coordinate term: barruly

2. (textiles) Of a dyed material: having bars or bands of color.
   • 1970, The International Dyer, Textile Printer, Bleacher and Finisher, page 802:

     […] many examples of the degree of coverage of barry nylon with various ranges of dyes are listed […]

• barriness
• barry-bendy
• barry-nebuly
• barry-pily
• barry-wavy

• The Manual of Heraldry, Fifth Edition, by Anonymous, London, 1862, online at

• Rybar

Borrowed from Angloromani baro (“great”)

barry (comparative mair barry, superlative maist barry)

1. (slang, Edinburgh) Excellent.
   • 1994 [1993], Irvine Welsh, “Bang to Rites”, in Trainspotting, London: Minerva, →ISBN, page 220:

     —That wis fuckin barry, ah gasp contentedly.

• Jonathon Green (2024) “barry adj.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang