barrator is also spelled
barrater. See also
barratry,
barratrous,
barrat.
From
Robert Cawdrey's
1604 A Table Alphabeticall :
a contentious person, quarreller, or fighter
From
Samuel Johnson's
1755 A Dictionary of the English Language,
n. s. [from barat, old Fr. from which is still retained barateur, a cheat] A wrangler, an encourager of lawsuits.
Will it not reflect as much on thy character, Nic, to turn barrator in thy old days, a stirrer up of quarrels amongst thy neighbors.
--- Arbuthnot's History of John Bull
From
Webster's New International Dictionary,
1909
[ME. baratour, OF. barateor deceiver, fr. OF. barater, bareter, to deceive, barter. See barterer, v. i.]
- One guilty of barratry.
- A fighter; a quarrelsome person; bully; rowdy. Obs.
From www.m-w.com :
one who engages in barratry