barb

¹

[ bahrb ]

noun

1. a point or pointed part projecting backward from a main point, as of a fishhook or arrowhead.

   Synonyms: spicule, prickle, snag, barbule, prong, spike, spur

2. an obviously or openly unpleasant or cutting remark.
3. Botany, Zoology. a hooked or sharp bristle.
4. Ornithology. one of the processes attached to the rachis of a feather.
5. one of a breed of domestic pigeons, similar to the carriers or homers, having a short, broad bill.
6. any of numerous, small, Old World cyprinid fishes of the genera Barbus and Puntius, often kept in aquariums.
7. Usually barbs. Veterinary Pathology. a small protuberance under the tongue in horses and cattle, especially when inflamed and swollen.
8. Also a linen covering for the throat and breast, formerly worn by women mourners and now only by some nuns.
9. Obsolete. a beard.

verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with a barb or barbs.

barb

²

[ bahrb ]

noun

1. one of a breed of horses raised originally in Barbary.

barb

³

[ bahrb ]

noun

, Slang.

1. barbiturate.

BARB

¹

/ bɑːb /

acronym for

1. Broadcasters' Audience Research Board

barb

²

/ bɑːb /

noun

1. a breed of horse of North African origin, similar to the Arab but less spirited

barb

³

/ bɑːb /

noun

1. See kelpie
   a black kelpie See kelpie 1

barb

⁴

/ bɑːb /

noun

1. a subsidiary point facing in the opposite direction to the main point of a fish-hook, harpoon, arrow, etc, intended to make extraction difficult
2. any of various pointed parts, as on barbed wire
3. a cutting remark; gibe
4. any of the numerous hairlike filaments that form the vane of a feather
5. a beardlike growth in certain animals
6. a hooked hair or projection on certain fruits
7. any small cyprinid fish of the genus Barbus (or Puntius ) and related genera, such as B. conchonius ( rosy barb )
8. usually plural any of the small fleshy protuberances beneath the tongue in horses and cattle
9. a white linen cloth forming part of a headdress extending from the chin to the upper chest, originally worn by women in the Middle Ages, now worn by nuns of some orders
10. obsolete.
    a beard

verb

1. tr to provide with a barb or barbs

barb

/ bärb /

1. A sharp point projecting backward, as on the stinger of a bee.
2. One of the hairlike branches on the shaft of a feather.

Derived Forms

• barbed, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of barb¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English barbe “beard, pleated cloth, barb (of an arrow),” from Middle French, Old French barbe, from Latin barba beard

Origin of barb²

First recorded in 1600–10; from French barbe, shortened form of Italian barbero “Barbary steed,” equivalent to Barber(ia) “Barbary” + -o masculine noun suffix

Origin of barb³

First recorded in 1955–60; by shortening

Word History and Origins

Origin of barb¹

C17: from French barbe , from Italian barbero a Barbary (horse)

Origin of barb²

C19: named after one that was named Barb after a winning racehorse

Origin of barb³

C14: from Old French barbe beard, point, from Latin barba beard

Example Sentences

Wind barbs Wind barbs are the most visible portion of a station plot.

From Outside Online

A wind barb contains half lines, full lines, and flags to denote wind speeds.

From Outside Online

A patch with smaller barbs punctured the slim stem of a tomato plant.

From Science News For Students

To make the microneedle’s barbs, the researchers took advantage of a curious effect of this type of 3-D printing.

From Science News For Students

On exposure to ultraviolet light, the barbs curved downward.

From Science News For Students

Jon was a big fan and he spent hours planning responses to every possible barb.

From The Daily Beast

Bills are piling up in an Iowa court case, Heki v. Bachmann, filed by another former Bachmann staffer, Barb Heki.

From The Daily Beast

But every barb is delivered with a wink—and a chiseled, dashing smile.

From The Daily Beast

The Daily Pic: Barb Choit shows us old images as they fade to black – or cyan.

From The Daily Beast

Even an exchange on gun control enabled Obama to recycle a barb once used against John Kerry, who played Romney in debate prep.

From The Daily Beast

Accordingly he carries to court a beautiful barb, and requests his majesty's acceptance of it.

From Project Gutenberg

Some had one good edge, or a point or barb, while the other parts of the same stones showed only the natural form and fracture.

From Project Gutenberg

This time he had received a genuine wound, with poison upon the barb of the arrow that had pierced him.

From Project Gutenberg

He held in his hand a curious wooden spear with a loose barb tipped with the tusk of a walrus.

From Project Gutenberg

In form it belongs to Class A of stemmed implements, is lozenge-shaped, without shoulder or barb.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• criticism
• gibe
• insult
• sarcasm