barbecue

A2 Topic:Food & Drink

US /ˈbɑɹbɪˌkju/ UK /ˈbɑːbɪˌkjuː/ See IPA manual

Freq #5992

Meanings

1

noun
An outdoor meal or party where food is cooked over a fire or grill.

We're having a barbecue on Saturday, and you're invited.
2

noun
A piece of equipment for cooking food outdoors over hot coals.

He lit the barbecue and put the sausages on.
3

verb
To cook food outdoors on a grill.

We barbecued steaks and burgers in the backyard.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an outdoor meal or party... cookout

2 noun · a piece of equipment for... grill

3 verb · to cook food outdoors on a... cook outgrill

Word family

Forms barbecuedbarbecuesbarbecuing

Derived forms barbecuerbarbecueybarbiebbqnonbarbecue

Related forms balbacuabarbacoa

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

barbecue sauce
a sweet, tangy, or spicy sauce commonly served with grilled food

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Barbecue entered English in the mid-17th century from Spanish barbacoa. The Spanish word may come from an Arawak language of the West Indies, in which barbacoa denoted a wooden frame set on posts.

Etymology

From mid-17th century. Borrowed from Spanish barbacoa, from Taíno barbakoa (“framework of sticks”), the raised wooden structure the natives used to either sleep on or cure meat. Originally “meal of roasted meat or fish”. Doublet of balbacua and barbacoa.

barbacoa Spanish barbakoa tnq

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Food & Drink

External links

# barbecue

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈbɑɹbɪˌkju/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbɑːbɪˌkjuː/
**Frequency rank:** 5992

## Meanings
1. An outdoor meal or party where food is cooked over a fire or grill.
2. A piece of equipment for cooking food outdoors over hot coals.
3. To cook food outdoors on a grill.

## Examples
- We're having a barbecue on Saturday, and you're invited.
- He lit the barbecue and put the sausages on.
- We barbecued steaks and burgers in the backyard.

## Derived Forms
- barbecuer
- barbecuey
- barbie
- bbq
- nonbarbecue

## Related Forms
- balbacua
- barbacoa

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: barbacoa
- Root: barbakoa

## Etymology
From mid-17th century. Borrowed from Spanish barbacoa, from Taíno barbakoa (“framework of sticks”), the raised wooden structure the natives used to either sleep on or cure meat. Originally “meal of roasted meat or fish”. Doublet of balbacua and barbacoa.

## AI Etymology
Barbecue comes from mid-17th century. Borrowed from Spanish barbacoa, from Taíno barbakoa (“framework of sticks”), the raised wooden structure the natives used to either sleep on or cure meat. Originally “meal of roasted meat or fish”. Doublet of balbacua and barbacoa.

## Topics
- Food & Drink

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