barker
barker Lexical Profile
barker Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person employed outside a carnival, sideshow, circus, or retail establishment who loudly advertises the attraction to passersby in order to draw in customers.
"The carnival barker stood on a wooden crate, calling out to the crowd to step right up and test their strength."
An animal, especially a dog, that barks frequently or habitually.
"Their new terrier proved to be a relentless barker whenever delivery trucks drove past the front gate."
A worker or mechanical machine that strips the bark from logs in lumber and paper manufacturing.
"Before the timber enters the sawmill blades, each log passes through a high-pressure hydraulic barker."
• Rhymes for barker
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Middle English from the verb 'bark' (from Old English 'beorcan', meaning to make a sharp cry) combined with the agentive suffix '-er'; the forestry sense derives independently from the noun 'bark' (of Scandinavian origin, akin to Old Norse 'börkr').