barb - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com

Whether it is the spikes on the wire atop a security fence or a mean remark someone said about you, barbs can hurt. When you encounter either kind of barb, you should stay away.

Barb comes from the Latin word barba, which means “beard.” Beards offer protection from things like cold and wind, but as Mommy found out when she kissed Santa Claus, they can also be quite scratchy. Perhaps this is why, when it comes to talking about beards, some people speak nothing but barbs.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: barb

1	n v	a subsidiary point facing opposite from the main point that makes an arrowhead or spear hard to remove provide with barbs
2	n	one of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather

FULL DEFINITIONS OF: barb

1

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

Types:: fluke
a barb on a harpoon or arrow

Type of:: point
sharp end

n the pointed part of barbed wire

Type of:: point
sharp end

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

Synonyms:: dig, gibe, jibe, shaft, shot, slam

Types:: cheap shot
an unnecessarily aggressive and unfair remark directed at a defenseless person

Type of:: comment, input, remark
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information

v provide with barbs

“barbed wire”

Type of:: alter, change, modify
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

2

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

Type of:: fibril, filament, strand
a very slender natural or synthetic fiber