barb

4 entries found for barb.
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barb[1,noun] barb[2,transitive verb] barb[3,noun] barb[4,noun]

Main Entry: ¹barb
Pronunciation: 'bärb
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English barbe barb, beard, from Anglo-French, from Latin barba -- more at BEARD
1 : a medieval cloth headdress passing over or under the chin and covering the neck
2 a : a sharp projection extending backward (as from the point of an arrow or fishhook) and preventing easy extraction; also : a sharp projection with its point similarly oblique to something else b : a biting or pointedly critical remark or comment
3 : ²BARBEL
4 : any of the side branches of the shaft of a feather -- see FEATHER illustration
5 : a plant hair or bristle ending in a hook
- barb·less /-l&s/ adjective