barbary Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a region of northern Africa on the Mediterranean coast between Egypt and Gibraltar; was used as a base for pirates from the 16th to 19th centuries

WordNet


Bar"ba*ry noun
Etymology
Fr. Ar. Barbar the people of Barbary.
Definitions
  1. The countries on the north coast of Africa from Egypt to the Atlantic. Hence: A Barbary horse; a barb. Obs. Also, a kind of pigeon.

Webster 1913