barb

C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /bɑːrb/ UK /bɑːb/ See IPA manual

noun verb

Meanings

1

noun
a sharp backward point; a cutting or wounding remark

Her witty reply carried a barb that stung for hours.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a sharp backward point; a... point spike prickle jibe taunt dig sneer

Word family

Forms barbless

Derived forms barbedbarblessbarby

Related forms barbelbarber beard

Etymology

From Old French barbe ('beard, barb'), from Latin barba ('beard'), the projecting point being likened to a beard.

barbe Old French barba Latin *bʰardʰeh₂ Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction

# barb

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** bɑːrb
**IPA (UK):** bɑːb

## Meanings
1. a sharp backward point; a cutting or wounding remark

## Examples
- Her witty reply carried a barb that stung for hours.

## Synonyms
- point
- spike
- prickle
- jibe
- taunt
- dig
- sneer

## Derived Forms
- barbed
- barbless
- barby

## Related Forms
- barbel
- barber
- beard

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: barbe
- Root: barba
- Root: *bʰardʰeh₂

## Etymology
From Old French barbe ('beard, barb'), from Latin barba ('beard'), the projecting point being likened to a beard.

## AI Etymology
Barb is from Old French barbe ('beard, barb'), from Latin barba ('beard'), the projecting point being likened to a beard. Important recorded forms include barbe (Old French), barba (Latin), and *bʰardʰeh₂ (Proto-Indo-European). The current sense covers a sharp backward point; a cutting or wounding remark. The wider family includes derived forms such as barbed, barbless, and barby and related words such as barbel, barber, and beard.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

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barb

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