The comparative form of barren; more barren, more empty, or less fertile.
From barren (meaning empty, unproductive, or unable to produce offspring) plus -er, the comparative suffix used to compare two things. Barren comes from Old English and possibly Old French origins.
The Barren Grounds of Canada is a truly barrener landscape than even deserts—it's tundra so harsh and treeless that early Arctic explorers thought no life could possibly survive there, yet the Dene people thrived there for thousands of years.
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