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barb

UK/bɑː(ɹ)b/ US/ˈbɑrb/ fairly common informal slang us
noun (4) verb (2)

noun

1.

an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect

  • “his parting shot was”
  • “";”
  • “;”
Synonyms
2.
3.

a subsidiary point facing opposite from the main point that makes an arrowhead or spear hard to remove

4.

one of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather

verb

1.

provide with barbs

  • “barbed wire”
2.

provide with barbs

  • “barbed wire”

Origin

PIE word *bʰardʰéh₂ From Middle English barbe, from Middle French barbe, from Old French barbe (“beard, beard-like element”). Doublet of beard.

Phrases

  • bandula barb
  • black ruby barb
  • burnt-tailed barb
  • Denison barb
  • Denison's barb
  • giant barb
  • hose barb
  • Java barb

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.