Main Entry: ¹barb

Pronunciation: \ˈbärb\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English barbe barb, beard, from Anglo-French, from Latin barba — more at beard

Date: 14th century

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 \-ləs\ adjective