disbar (English)

Where does "disbar" come from?

The English verb 'disbar' is a combination of the prefix 'dis' and the noun 'bar'[1]. The root 'bar' descends from the Middle English 'barre'[4], which entered the language from the Old French 'barre'[2][5]. This term for a barrier or gate ultimately traces back to the Vulgar Latin form '*barra'[5][6]. While 'dis' often acts as a prefix meaning to undo or deprive, in this instance it specifically denotes the removal of a legal professional from their status at the bar[1].

Open questions

The ultimate origin of the Vulgar Latin '*barra' remains uncertain among linguists. [2] [6]
The Proto-Germanic form '*barō' is considered of uncertain etymology. [7]
Deriving 'bar' from the Gaulish '*barros' is a theory that is now largely discredited. [6]

Full etymology tree

disbar (English), 'To expel from the bar, or the legal profession; to deprive (an attorney, barrister, or counselor) of his or her status and privileges as such.'
- prefix dis- (English), 'Not, the reverse of. (Especially forming words with a negative connotation)'
- derived bar (English), 'A solid, more or less rigid object of metal or wood with a uniform cross-section smaller than its length.'
  - inherited barre (Middle English), 'barrier, obstruction'
    - borrowed barre (Old French), 'bar (solid, more or less rigid object with a uniform cross-section smaller than its length)'
      - inherited *barra (Latin), 'bar'
        inherited *barō (Proto-Germanic), 'beam, bar, rail'
        inherited *bʰerH- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to pierce'
        inherited *bʰoréh₂ (Proto-Indo-European), 'an act of carrying or bearing'
        derived *bʰer- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to bear, carry'

Ancestors

Descendants and derived words

disbarment (English)
disbarrable (English)
undisbarred (English)

Sources

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris