Definition of barb
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
