Barbie

See also: barbie, and bărbie

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɑɹbi/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɑːbi/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)bi

Etymology 1

From Barbara +‎ -ie.

Proper noun

Barbie (plural Barbies)

1. A diminutive of the female given name Barbara.

Translations

diminutive of Barbara

• Arabic: بَارْبِي f (bārbī)
• Dutch: Babs, Babbe
• Esperanto: Barnjo
• Marathi: बार्बी f (bārbī)
• Polish: Basia (pl) f
• Russian: Ба́рби (ru) f (Bárbi), Ва́ря (ru) f (Várja) (diminutive of Варва́ра (Varvára))

Etymology 2

Named for Barbara Handler-Segal, daughter of Mattel co-founder Elliot Handler, in 1959.

Noun

Barbie [1]

Barbie (plural Barbies)

1. A tall, slender female fashion doll.
   • 1964, Young Children, volume 55, National Association for the Education of Young Children, page 10:

     They discourage their young children from engaging in rough-and-tumble play. One mother said, “I like Hai-Mei quiet. I like her playing Barbies, writing, and singing.”

   • 1968, Paul Krassner, editor, The Realist, volumes 84-93, Realist Association, page 68:

     Everything short of the toe-to-toe Truth and Love that comes from real confrontation of individual consciousness is just playing with Barbie dolls.

   • 1976, Across the Board, volumes 13-14, The Conference Board, page 20:

     Sarah, who is ten, says she doesn’t play with Barbies anymore, although she takes a certain scientific interest […] .

   • 2005, Linda Hoffman Kimball, Apple Pies & Promises, Cedar Fort,, →ISBN, page 51:

     Many of my feminist friends hate Barbie because they feel that she sends a terrible message to girls […]

2. (by extension, informal, derogatory) A beautiful but stupid or shallow young woman.

   Synonym: dolly

Coordinate terms

• Ken doll

Derived terms

• Barbenheimer
• Barbiesque
• Barbillion
• Barbiefication
• Barbie pink
• Barbie shipper

Translations

doll

• Arabic: بَارْبِي f (bārbī)
• Armenian: Բարբի (Barbi)
• Bulgarian: Барби (Barbi)
• Catalan: Barbie
• Cebuano: Barbie
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 芭比娃娃 (zh) (Bābǐ wáwá), 芭比 (zh) (Bābǐ)

• Czech: barbína (cs) f, Barbie
• Danish: Barbiedukke c, Barbie-dukke c, Barbie c
• Finnish: barbi (fi), Barbie
• French: Barbie (fr)
• Georgian: ბარბი (barbi)
• German: Barbie (de) f, Barbiepuppe f
• Greek: Μπάρμπι (el) (Bármpi)
• Hebrew: בַּרְבִּי (barbi)
• Hindi: बार्बी (bārbī)
• Hungarian: Barbie
• Italian: Barbie (it)
• Japanese: バービー (Bābī)
• Korean: 바비 (Babi)
• Lao: ບາຣ໌ບີ້ (bān bī)
• Latvian: Bārbija
• Lithuanian: Barbė
• Macedonian: ба́рбика f (bárbika), Барби (Barbi)
• Marathi: बार्बी f (bārbī)
• Polish: Barbie (pl) f
• Portuguese: Barbie
• Romanian: Barbie
• Russian: Ба́рби (ru) f (Bárbi)
• Serbo-Croatian: barbika (sh) f, Барби, Barbi (sh), Barbie
• Slovak: Barbie
• Slovene: Barbie
• Spanish: Barbie
• Swedish: barbiedocka (sv) c, barbie (sv) c, Barbie
• Tagalog: Barbie
• Thai: บาร์บี้
• Turkish: Barbie
• Ukrainian: Ба́рбі (Bárbi)
• Urdu: باربی (bārbī)
• Vietnamese: Barbie

a beautiful but stupid or shallow young woman

• Czech: barbína (cs) f
• Finnish: blondi (fi), bimbo (fi)
• Polish: lala (pl) f, lalka (pl) f, lalunia f
• Russian: ку́кла (ru) f (kúkla) (doll, puppet)
• Serbo-Croatian: barbika (sh) f

Anagrams

• Rabbie

German

Etymology

Borrowed from French Barbier.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Barbie

1. a surname

   Klaus Barbie ― Klaus Barbie

Further reading

• “Barbie” in Duden online

Polish

Barbie

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English Barbie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbar.bi/
• Rhymes: -arbi
• Syllabification: Bar‧bie

Noun

Barbie f (indeclinable)

1. Barbie (tall, slender female fashion doll)

Further reading

• Barbie in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• barbie

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English Barbie.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbaʁ.bi/ [ˈbaɦ.bi]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbaʁ.bi/ [ˈbaɦ.bi]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈbaɾ.bi/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈbaʁ.bi/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbaɻ.bi/

Noun

Barbie f (plural Barbies)

1. a Barbie doll
2. (Brazil, gay slang) a gay man who is attractive and well-groomed
   • 2000, Wilton García, A forma estranha: ensaios sobre cultura e homoerotismo‎^[1], page 48:

     Neste sentido convém entender que, quando nos deparamos com qualquer rapaz forte e de músculos definidos, automaticamente, perguntamos: será que ele é uma Barbie? Este tipo de questionamento ocorre a partir de uma percepção contemporânea que, dentro do universo da cultura gay está sendo categorizado como tal.

     In this sense, it’s worth understanding that when we come across any strong guy with defined muscles, we automatically ask: is he a Barbie? This type of questioning arises from a contemporary perception that, within the universe of gay culture, he is being categorized as such.

Further reading

• “Barbie”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2024