chiefly British
: a cow barn

Examples of byre in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web People were rushing to farm and rebuild byres for their cows before the rains grew heavier. Jérôme Tubiana, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2015 In fact, Cyrano’s room three years later, that was in there as well, in this derelict cow byre. Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'byre.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English bȳre; akin to Old English būr dwelling — more at bower

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of byre was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near byre

Cite this Entry

“Byre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/byre. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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