[Bards] What is a bard?

[T'Star]

Well now, since we're bring up modern English rather than SCA Usage I
thought I'd run it through a series of dictionaries and my favorite
etymology site.

Dictionary definitions of BARD

bard1
–noun
1.	(formerly) a person who composed and recited epic or heroic poems,
often while playing the harp, lyre, or the like.
2.	one of an ancient Celtic order of composers and reciters of poetry.
3.	any poet.
4.	the bard, William Shakespeare.
[Origin: 1400–50; late ME < Celt; cf. Ir, ScotGael bard, Welsh bardd,
Breton barz < IE *gwrs-do-s singer, akin to Albanian grisha (I)
invited (to a wedding)]

—Related forms
bardic, adjective
bardish, bardlike, adjective
bardship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, (c) Random House, Inc. 2006.

bard2
–noun
1.	Armor. any of various pieces of defensive armor for a horse.
2.	Cookery. a thin slice of fat or bacon secured to a roast of meat or
poultry to prevent its drying out while cooking.
–verb (used with object)
3.	Armor. to caparison with bards.
4.	Cookery. to secure thin slices of fat or bacon to (a roast of meat
or poultry) before cooking.
Also, barde (for defs. 1, 3).

[Origin: 1470–80; < MF barde < Southern It barda armor for a horse <
Ar bardaʿah packsaddle < Pers pardah covering]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, (c) Random House, Inc. 2006.

bard 1       (bärd)  Pronunciation Key
n.

   1. One of an ancient Celtic order of minstrel poets who composed
and recited verses celebrating the legendary exploits of chieftains
and heroes.
   2. A poet, especially a lyric poet.

bard 1       (bärd)  Pronunciation Key
n.

   1. One of an ancient Celtic order of minstrel poets who composed
and recited verses celebrating the legendary exploits of chieftains
and heroes.
   2. A poet, especially a lyric poet.



[Middle English, from Irish and Scottish Gaelic bard and from Welsh
bardd; see gwerə-2 in Indo-European roots.]

bard'ic adj.
(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright (c) 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.


bard 2 also barde       (bärd)  Pronunciation Key
n.   A piece of armor used to protect or ornament a horse.

tr.v.   bard·ed, bard·ing, bards

   1. To equip (a horse) with bards.
   2. To cover (meat) in thin pieces of bacon or fat to preserve
moisture during cooking.



[Middle English barde, from Old French, from Old Italian barda, from
Arabic barda'a, packsaddle, from Persian pardah; see purdah.]

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright (c) 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.


bard
1449, from Scottish, from O.Celt. bardos "poet, singer," from PIE base
*gwer- "to lift up the voice, praise." In historic times, a term of
contempt among the Scots (who considered them itinerant
troublemakers), but one of great respect among the Welsh.

    "All vagabundis, fulis, bardis, scudlaris, and siclike idill
pepill, sall be brint on the cheek." [local Scottish ordinance,
c.1500]

Subsequently idealized by Scott in the more ancient sense of "lyric
poet, singer." Poetic use of the word in English is from Gk. bardos,
L. bardus, both from Gaulish. Bardolatry "worship of Shakespeare (the
'Bard of Avon')" first recorded 1901.

Online Etymology Dictionary, (c) 2001 Douglas Harper


bard

noun
1. 	a lyric poet
2. 	an ornamental caparison for a horse

verb
1. 	put a caparison on; "caparison the horses for the festive
occasion" [syn: caparison]

WordNet(R) 3.0, (c) 2006 by Princeton University.


Bard, NM Zip code(s): 88411
U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau


So by the CURRENT English we have have to limit ourselves to poetry,
occasionally song, being armor for horses (protect the spot right
above the saddle!), a cooking technique, or a town in New Mexico.
Since I don't think any of us can claim to be Shakespeare.

I'll give you the definitions of minstrel later if you like or you can
double check at www.dictionary.com.  The SCA definition of 'bard' is
much broader than that by implication.  It includes storytellers and
singers.  I have a question for you all, not how do we define
ourselves, but how does our audience define us?  Are we happy with
that definition?  If not how are we going to alter it to something we
ARE happy with even if we can't put it down on paper.

Frankly I don't care what Bard means in Ancient Ireland.   It's what
it means NOW in the SCA usage which is NOT common modern usage.  It
has broader connotations in the community of bards, and sometimes
narrower ones out there including the people who define bards as 'that
pompous group of pains in the posterior over there.'

~Svetlana Andrejevna Volkova