barrator
- noun
- /ˈbærəˌtɔr/
- Archaic
- Known for his deceitful tactics, the barrator constantly instigated legal fights.
Examples
-
As a barrator, she had a reputation for creating unnecessary disputes in court.
-
The portrait of the virtuous Hynes challenges the mockery of the fiends in the circle of the barrators, for the evil do not have a monopoly on humor.
Academic text (1991) -
The irony results from the setting being in the Royal Exchange Ward (here barrators exchange power for money) where Parnell is exchanged for the rake, Edward VII, that "German monarch" (D 121).
Academic text (1991) -
The barrator filed frivolous lawsuits to annoy his neighbors.
Synonyms
A person who often starts useless court cases or fights to cause trouble
How Litigious
- Archaic
- Specialized
9
7.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
barrator = barrat (opaque) = barrat + or
Although the form can be analysed as barrat + -or, the base is rare and the legal meaning is specialized, so the sense is not readily inferable for most learners.
Etymology
The word barrator comes from an old word barater, meaning 'to cheat' or 'to haggle', and is related to the English word barter. So a barrator is someone who 'cheats' the court by starting many false or useless lawsuits.