Where did the word “barbarian” come from—and what did it really mean to the Ancient Greeks? On Day Four of Word Origins Week, Gordy unpacks the wild linguistic journey of one of the oldest insults in human history. From Greek mockery of foreign languages to Roman propaganda, this word’s transformation reveals a lot more about cultural dominance than you might expect.

You’ll learn how language, judgment, and power shaped the ancient world—and how words like “barbarian” still carry that baggage today. Stick around for the unexpected connection to the name Barbara, the Barbary Coast, and why being called a “barbarian” is suddenly… kind of a compliment?

Hit play to learn how a sound became a slur—and why “bar-bar-bar” was never just nonsense.

Sources:

• Cartledge, P. (2002). The Greeks: A Portrait of Self and Others. Oxford University Press.
  

• Hall, E. (1989). Inventing the Barbarian: Greek Self-Definition through Tragedy. Oxford University Press.
  

• Hornblower, S., & Spawforth, A. (Eds.). (2003). The Oxford Classical Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
  

• Liddell, H. G., & Scott, R. (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  

• Crystal, D. (2010). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  

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