Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Barken
Bark′en
,Adj.
Made of bark.
[Poetic]
Whittier.
Definition 2024
Barken
barken
barken
See also: Barken
English
Adjective
barken (not comparable)
- (poetic) Made of bark.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Whittier to this entry?)
Verb
barken (third-person singular simple present barkens, present participle barkening, simple past and past participle barkened)
- (intransitive, Britain dialectal, Scotland) To become hard or form a crust, like bark.
- 1908, Sir Walter Scott, Guy Mannering, or, The astrologer:
- "The best way's to let the blood barken upon the cut — that saves plasters, hinney."
- (transitive, Britain dialectal) To tan or dye with bark.
- 1818, Sir Walter Scott, The Heart of Mid-Lothian, Vol. 1., Illustrated:
- "And it wad far better become ye, Mr. Saddletree," continued his helpmate, "since ye say ye hae skeel o' the law, to try if ye can do onything for Effie Deans, puir thing, that's lying up in the tolbooth yonder, cauld, and hungry, and comfortless--A servant lass of ours, Mr. Butler, and as innocent a lass, to my thinking, and as usefu' in the shop--When Mr. Saddletree gangs out,--and ye're aware he's seldom at hame when there's ony o' the plea-houses open,--poor Effie used to help me to tumble the bundles o' barkened leather up and down, and range out the gudes, and suit a' body's humours--And troth, she could aye please the customers wi' her answers, for she was aye civil, and a bonnier lass wasna in Auld Reekie.
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References
barken in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911