"barnstar" meaning in English

See barnstar in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-barnstar.wav Forms: barnstars [plural], barn star [alternative], barn-star [alternative]
Etymology: From barn + star. In the wiki sense a reference to the communal practice of barnraising, introduced on the MeatballWiki in the early 2000s and adopted by Wikipedia in 2003. Etymology templates: {{compound|en|barn|star}} barn + star Head templates: {{en-noun}} barnstar (plural barnstars)
  1. A decorative painted object or image, often in the shape of a five-pointed star but occasionally in a circular wagon-wheel style, used to adorn a barn. Translations (A decorative painted object or image): cobestrella [feminine] (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-barnstar-en-noun-en:decoration Disambiguation of 'A decorative painted object or image': 89 2 8
  2. A lucky charm resembling a star plate, similar to a horseshoe
    Sense id: en-barnstar-en-noun-en:charm Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Indonesian translations, Terms with Mandarin translations, Terms with Spanish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 4 71 25 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 12 65 23 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 5 71 24 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 4 72 24 Disambiguation of Terms with Indonesian translations: 16 54 31 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 16 53 31 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 11 68 21
  3. (Wikimedia jargon) An image posted on a wiki user's personal page by another user, as an informal award or form of recognition. Translations (image posted on personal page): 星章 (xīngzhāng) (Chinese Mandarin), BintangWiki (Indonesian), cobestrella [feminine] (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-barnstar-en-noun-en:wiki Categories (other): Wikimedia Disambiguation of 'image posted on personal page': 16 14 70

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

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  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "barn",
        "3": "star"
      },
      "expansion": "barn + star",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From barn + star. In the wiki sense a reference to the communal practice of barnraising, introduced on the MeatballWiki in the early 2000s and adopted by Wikipedia in 2003.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "barnstars",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "barn star",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "barn-star",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "barnstar (plural barnstars)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A decorative painted object or image, often in the shape of a five-pointed star but occasionally in a circular wagon-wheel style, used to adorn a barn."
      ],
      "id": "en-barnstar-en-noun-en:decoration",
      "links": [
        [
          "wagon",
          "wagon"
        ],
        [
          "barn",
          "barn"
        ]
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:decoration"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "89 2 8",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "A decorative painted object or image",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "cobestrella"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "4 71 25",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "12 65 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Indonesian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "16 53 31",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 68 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A lucky charm resembling a star plate, similar to a horseshoe"
      ],
      "id": "en-barnstar-en-noun-en:charm",
      "links": [
        [
          "lucky charm",
          "lucky charm"
        ],
        [
          "star plate",
          "star plate"
        ],
        [
          "horseshoe",
          "horseshoe"
        ]
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:charm"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Wikimedia",
          "orig": "en:Wikimedia",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
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          "ref": "2008, Jonathan Zittrain, The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It, →ISBN, Notes: Chapter 6, page 290:",
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          "ref": "2025 October 17, Andy Newman, “Wikipedia Volunteers Avert Tragedy by Taking Down Gunman at Conference”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:",
          "text": "Other Wikipedia editors responded to Mr. [Richard] Knipel’s courageous act by awarding him several “Barnstars,” the site’s official tokens of appreciation. “You’ve got some guts man!” wrote a user who awarded him a Barnstar of Diligence. Mr. Knipel did not respond to a request for comment.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An image posted on a wiki user's personal page by another user, as an informal award or form of recognition."
      ],
      "id": "en-barnstar-en-noun-en:wiki",
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        "(Wikimedia jargon) An image posted on a wiki user's personal page by another user, as an informal award or form of recognition."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:wiki"
      ],
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      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "16 14 70",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "lang_code": "cmn",
          "roman": "xīngzhāng",
          "sense": "image posted on personal page",
          "word": "星章"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 14 70",
          "code": "id",
          "lang": "Indonesian",
          "lang_code": "id",
          "sense": "image posted on personal page",
          "word": "BintangWiki"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 14 70",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "image posted on personal page",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "cobestrella"
        }
      ]
    }
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}
{
  "categories": [
    "English compound terms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
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    "Terms with Indonesian translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations"
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        "3": "star"
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      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From barn + star. In the wiki sense a reference to the communal practice of barnraising, introduced on the MeatballWiki in the early 2000s and adopted by Wikipedia in 2003.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "barnstars",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "barn star",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "barn-star",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
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    {
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        "A decorative painted object or image, often in the shape of a five-pointed star but occasionally in a circular wagon-wheel style, used to adorn a barn."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "wagon",
          "wagon"
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          "barn",
          "barn"
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        "A lucky charm resembling a star plate, similar to a horseshoe"
      ],
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          "lucky charm",
          "lucky charm"
        ],
        [
          "star plate",
          "star plate"
        ],
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          "horseshoe"
        ]
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          "text": "Other Wikipedia editors responded to Mr. [Richard] Knipel’s courageous act by awarding him several “Barnstars,” the site’s official tokens of appreciation. “You’ve got some guts man!” wrote a user who awarded him a Barnstar of Diligence. Mr. Knipel did not respond to a request for comment.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An image posted on a wiki user's personal page by another user, as an informal award or form of recognition."
      ],
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        [
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          "award",
          "award"
        ],
        [
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          "recognition"
        ]
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Wikimedia jargon) An image posted on a wiki user's personal page by another user, as an informal award or form of recognition."
      ],
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    }
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "A decorative painted object or image",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "cobestrella"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "lang_code": "cmn",
      "roman": "xīngzhāng",
      "sense": "image posted on personal page",
      "word": "星章"
    },
    {
      "code": "id",
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "lang_code": "id",
      "sense": "image posted on personal page",
      "word": "BintangWiki"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "image posted on personal page",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "cobestrella"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "MeatballWiki"
  ],
  "word": "barnstar"
}

Download raw JSONL data for barnstar meaning in English (3.8kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-02-14 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-02-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 59dc20b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.