barbecue
noun/ˈbɑːbɪkjuː/
/ˈbɑːrbɪkjuː/
(abbreviation BBQ)
(also informal barbie British English, Australian English)
- a metal frame for cooking food on over an open fire outdoors
- I put another steak on the barbecue.
- a barbecue sausage (= cooked in this way)
- an outdoor meal or party when food is cooked in this way
- Let's have a barbecue!
compare cookout
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from Spanish barbacoa, perhaps from Arawak barbacoa ‘wooden frame on posts’. The original sense was ‘wooden framework for sleeping on, or for storing meat or fish to be dried’.
Check pronunciation:
barbecue