Webster's English Dictionary

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barb

1. barb \'ba:rb\ \'ba:rdb\ n [ME barbe barb, beard, fr. MF, fr. L barba] 
   1a: a sharp projection extending backward (as from the point of an arrow or 
    fishhook) and preventing easy extraction 1b: a biting or pointedly 
   critical remark or comment  2: a medieval cloth headdress passing over or 
   under the chin and covering t he neck 3: BARBEL  4: one of the side 
   branches of the shaft of a feather  5: a plant hair or bristle ending in a 
   hook  - barbed aj
2. barb vt : to furnish with a barb 
3. barb n [F barbe, fr. It barbero, fr. barbero of Barbary, fr. Barb]eria 
   Barbary, coastal region in Africa 1: a horse of a breed related to the 
   Arabs and introduced into Spain by the  Moors 2: a pigeon of a domestic 
   breed related to the carrier pigeons