Etymograph

English

barrator

Barrator comes from Old French barateor ‘deceiver’, from barater ‘to trick’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘to go over, cross’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-1‘to go over, cross’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pr̥h₂-k-yé-ti1uncertain*k-enlargement of *per-
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπράσσω2‘manage, do, perform’uncertain
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400barater3‘to trick’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400barateor3‘deceiver’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500baratour3
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1655barrator3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek πράσσω
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old French barater
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English barrator
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1655, Thomas Stanley, London: […] Humphrey Moseley: “I care not though men call me impudent, /…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek πράσσω‘to go over, cross’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pr̥h₂-k-yé-tiWiktionary, Ancient Greek πράσσωuncertain*k-enlargement of *per-
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπράσσωWiktionary, Old French barater‘manage, do, perform’uncertain
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400baraterWiktionary, English barrator‘to trick’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400barateorWiktionary, English barrator‘deceiver’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500baratourWiktionary, English barrator
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1655barratorWiktionary, English barrator. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1655, Thomas Stanley, London: […] Humphrey Moseley: “I care not though men call me impudent, /…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘to go over, cross’

first, before, per, support, further, far, price, press, report, private, pre, practice, prime, opportunity, fear, primary, prior, appreciate, prize, pregnant, sport, port, afford, precious, practical, ford, privilege, forth, praise, interpretation, par, ferry, primitive, parade, prix, fare, porch, pardon, pirate, interpreter, 151 more

through Proto-Indo-European *pr̥h₂-k-yé-ti

praxis, pragmatist, practicum, 9 more

through Ancient Greek πράσσω ‘manage, do, perform’

pragmatic, 3 more

through Old French barater ‘to trick’

barter

Today it means

noun One who is guilty of barratry, vexing others with frequent and often groundless lawsuits; a brangler and pettifogger.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “barrator”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek πράσσω, Old French barater. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *per- / barrator

Shirt and support for this word