Barking
/ˈbɑːr.kɪŋ/noun
Making a sharp, explosive sound like a dog, or stripping the outer covering from a tree.
Did you know?The verb bark is generally considered sound-symbolic or imitative, meaning its form may have been shaped by humans echoing the abrupt cry of an animal.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Germanic
*barkōną
“To make a sharp animal cry; proposed ancestral form of the verb bark”
Old English
Old English
beorcan
“To bark, especially of a dog”
Middle English
Middle English
berken
“To bark or make a dog-like cry”
Old Norse
Old Norse
börkr
“Tree bark; a related Germanic form belonging to the separate tree-covering sense”
14th Century
English
barking
“The act of barking, formed from bark plus the -ing suffix”
Modern English
English
barking
“Making a dog-like sound, or removing bark from trees”