bar

/ˈbär/

Middle English barre, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *barra

noun

  1. a straight piece (as of wood or metal) that is longer than it is wide and has any of various uses (as for a lever, support, barrier, or fastening)

  2. a solid piece or block of material that is longer than it is wide

  3. a usually rigid piece (as of wood or metal) longer than it is wide that is used as a handle or support; especially : a handrail used by ballet dancers to maintain balance while exercising

windows with bars across them

a bar of gold

verb

  1. to fasten with a long, narrow piece of wood, metal, or other material : to fasten with a bar

  2. to place bars across to prevent ingress or egress

  3. to mark with straight stripes, bands, or lines that are much longer than they are wide : to mark with bars : stripe

bar the door

preposition

  1. except

the country's most popular actor, bar none