Bards meaning : 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. (by extension) A poet. A piece of defensive (or, sometimes, ornamental) armor for a horse's neck, breast, and flanks; a barb. (Often in the plural.) Defensive armor formerly worn by a man at arms. A thin slice of fat bacon used to cover any meat or game. The exterior covering of the trunk and branches of a tree; the rind. Specifically, Peruvian bark.