12:07 PM
Whoa--via Metafilter, the Online Etymology Dictionary. It may not be (anywhere in the neighborhood of) comprehensive, but it does provide information I've been trying to track down for a few days: the origin of word bar with respect to the counter across which drinks are served:

bar - 12c., from O.Fr. barre, from V.L. *barra "bar, barrier," possibly from Gaulish *barros "the bushy end." Legal sense (c.1600) derives from the railing that separated benchers from the hall in the Inns of Court. Meaning of "tavern" is first attested 1592, from the bars that were pulled over the serving counter at closing time.

Y'know, in case you were wondering as well.