bard

noun

1. A professional poet and singer, like among the ancient Celts, whose occupation was to compose and sing verses in honor of the heroic achievements of princes and brave men.

   “He is a Welsh bard, and a man full of animation, anecdote, and independence; […]”

   “A WEAPON, THE WARRIOR CARRIES. A SAW, THE IDIOT CARRIES. AN INSTRUMENT, THE BARD CARRIES.”

2. (broadly)A poet.

   “Shakespeare is known as the bard of Avon.”

3. A class of character that typically focuses on charisma, magic and supporting other players; a fantasy fiction character inspired by this archetype.

   “I saw a bard work a bit of magic once. He brought up a volunteer from the audience, insulted him in rather colorful fashion, and then made the man forget the insults—and then he did the same trick all over again, twice more.””

   “"Having a bard would be even less helpful than having a second wizard, " John interjects.”

4. A piece of defensive (or, sometimes, ornamental) armor for a horse's neck, breast, and flanks; a barb. (Often in the plural.)
5. Defensive armor formerly worn by a man at arms.
6. A thin slice of fat bacon used to cover any meat or game.
7. The exterior covering of the trunk and branches of a tree; the rind.
8. Specifically, Peruvian bark.
9. (abbreviation, alt-of, uncountable)Abbreviation of beyond a reasonable doubt.

verb

1. To cover a horse in defensive armor.

   “The defensive armor with which the horses of the ancient knights or men at arms were covered, or, to use the language of the time, barded, consisted of the following pieces made either of metal or jacked leather, the Chamfron, Chamfrein or Shaffron, the Criniere or Main Facre, the Poitrenal, Poitral or Breast Plate, and the Croupiere or Buttock Piece.”

2. To cover (meat or game) with a thin slice of fat bacon.

name

1. A surname originating as an occupation.
2. (usually, with-definite-article)William Shakespeare.

   “We have previously traced Shakespeare from his Birth-place to the Grammar School, and we shall now glance at his career as a lover, and in so doing propose a pleasant walk of a short mile to Shottery, a rural hamlet in the parish of Stratford, where Anne Hathaway resided, to whom the Bard became affianced at a very early period in his life.”

   “It evidently needs no effort on the part of Mr. Booth to put himself en rapport with the ideal of the great Bard.”

   “Nearly a dozen such enterprises now struggle each summer against the vagaries of rough weather and mosquito swarms to bring the Bard to the nation.”

   “I hope that the selection of stories is illuminating for those who have never thought about what happened after the death of the immortal Bard.”

   ““We are going to undertake an exploration of the Bard's poetic structure and language,” Mom went on.”