1. A noun used without a determiner (article, demonstrative, possessive, etc.), appearing in its most basic form
In the phrase 'dogs are animals,' both 'dogs' and 'animals' are bare nouns
Na frase 'cães são animais', tanto 'cães' quanto 'animais' são nomes nus
2. In linguistics, a noun phrase consisting of only the noun head without any modifiers or determiners
The bare noun 'water' in 'I need water' contrasts with the determined noun in 'I need the water'
O nome nu 'água' em 'Preciso de água' contrasta com o nome determinado em 'Preciso da água'