bark
1
[ bahrk ]
/ bɑrk /
noun
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
to utter in a harsh, shouting tone: barking orders at her subordinates.
Idioms for bark
bark at the moon,
to protest in vain: Telling her that she's misinformed is just barking at the moon.
bark up the wrong tree,
to assail or pursue the wrong person or object; misdirect one's efforts: If he expects me to get him a job, he's barking up the wrong tree.
Origin of bark
1
before 900; Middle English
berken, Old English
beorcan; akin to Old English
borcian to bark, Old Norse
berkja to bluster, Lithuanian
burgė́ti to growl, quarrel, Serbo-Croatian
br̀gljati to murmur
OTHER WORDS FROM bark
bark·less, adjectiveWords nearby bark
British Dictionary definitions for bark up the wrong tree (1 of 3)
bark
1
/ (bɑːk) /
noun
verb
Word Origin for bark
Old English
beorcan; related to Lithuanian
burgěti to quarrel, growl
British Dictionary definitions for bark up the wrong tree (2 of 3)
bark
2
/ (bɑːk) /
noun
a protective layer of dead corky cells on the outside of the stems of woody plants
any of several varieties of this substance that can be used in tanning, dyeing, or in medicine
an informal name for cinchona
verb (tr)
Word Origin for bark
C13: from Old Norse
börkr; related to Swedish, Danish
bark, German
Borke; compare Old Norse
björkr
birch
British Dictionary definitions for bark up the wrong tree (3 of 3)
Scientific definitions for bark up the wrong tree
bark
[ bärk ]
The protective outer covering of the trunk, branches, and roots of trees and other woody plants. Bark includes all tissues outside the vascular cambium. In older trees, bark is usually divided into inner bark, consisting of living phloem, and outer bark, consisting of the periderm (the phelloderm, cork cambium, and cork) and all the tissues outside it. The outer bark is mainly dead tissue that protects the tree from heat, cold, insects, and other dangers. The appearance of bark varies according to the manner in which the periderm forms, as in broken layers or smoother rings. Bark also has lenticels, porous corky areas that allow for the exchange of water vapor and gases with the interior living tissues.
Idioms and Phrases with bark up the wrong tree (1 of 2)
bark up the wrong tree
Waste one's efforts by pursuing the wrong thing or path, as in If you think I can come up with more money, you're barking up the wrong tree. This term comes from the nocturnal pursuit of raccoon-hunting with the aid of dogs. Occasionally a raccoon fools the dogs, which crowd around a tree, barking loudly, not realizing their quarry has taken a different route. [Early 1800s]
Idioms and Phrases with bark up the wrong tree (2 of 2)
bark