Word of the Day: BARBAROUS
Vicious or vulgar
barbarous (adj) - savagely cruel; uncivilized or primitive (also barbaric) [bahr-ber-uhs]
BREAKDOWN: BARBAR- (foreign, savage) + -OUS (full of)
barbarism is a condition of ignorance or backwardness; an act or state of cruelty, savagery, or brutality
“If I paint like a barbarian, it’s because we live in a barbarous age” —Karel Appel
The BARBAR- root is onomatopoeic — the Greeks heard foreign speech as "bar bar bar" (their version of "blah blah blah"). Anyone who didn't speak Greek was making nonsense sounds to their ears.
What's fascinating is how this root hides in unexpected places. "Rhubarb" comes from Greek rha barbaros — literally "foreign rha." The plant came from beyond the Rha River (now the Volga), so it was the barbarous version of a familiar plant. We're still calling it a foreigner every time we make a pie.
Also interesting: "barbarism" in grammar originally meant importing foreign words or structures — making your language sound foreign to native speakers. The concept of linguistic purity runs deep.