barber [ME] The word barber goes back to French barbe, ‘a beard’. In the 16th and 17th centuries barbers provided lute or guitar music for customers waiting their turn. Some would sing along. This barber’s music was not always pleasant to listen to, and the term was quite insulting. In America standards seem to have been higher: the term barbershop for close-harmony singing is first recorded in the early 20th century.