barbaricus

Barbaricus is a Latin adjective meaning “barbarian” or “barbarous,” used to describe things related to foreigners or non-Romans in Latin texts. The form barbaricus (masculine), barbarica (feminine), and barbaricum (neuter) agrees with the noun it modifies and can appear in predicative or attributive position. In some translations or scholarly discussions, it is used to convey the sense of foreignness or cultural otherness associated with non-Romans.

Etymology and historical usage trace barbaricus to barbarus, meaning “foreign, non-Greek,” which itself derives from Greek barbaros, a term used by Greeks to refer to non-Greeks. In Roman literature, barbaricus is employed to characterize tribes, customs, or speech that were viewed as foreign or uncivilized from a Roman viewpoint. The word is part of a broader Latin vocabulary that contributed to English terms such as barbarian and barbarous.

Modern references and scope: The term is primarily of linguistic and historical interest today. It can appear in discussions of Latin grammar, philology, or classical translations, where precision about nuance and attitude toward “barbarian” groups matters. In contemporary usage, barbaricus is uncommon as a standalone concept outside linguistic or textual analysis, and in taxonomy any historical use of barbaricus as a genus or species epithet is not standard in current nomenclature.

See also: Barbarian, Barbarism, Latin language, Latin grammar.