the pointed part of barbed wire
"The sharp barb on the fence wire snagged his shirt as he walked by."
a subsidiary point facing opposite from the main point that makes an arrowhead or spear hard to remove
"The sharp barb on the tip of the dart made it impossible to pull out without causing severe injury."
one of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather
"The raptor carefully plucked out a loose barb to repair the tear in its wing feathers."
The point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc., to prevent it from being easily extracted. Hence: Anything which stands out with a sharp point obliquely or crosswise to something else.
"She proudly wore her purple wig to show she is an avid barb who supports every song by Nicki Minaj."
The Barbary horse, a superior breed introduced from Barbary into Spain by the Moors.
A barbiturate.
Armor for a horse.
A fan of the American singer Nicki Minaj, especially a female one.
In plain English: A barb is a devoted fan of the rapper Nicki Minaj.
"The sharp barb on the fish hook caught his finger."
Usage: Use this noun to refer to an enthusiastic fan-typically female-of Nicki Minaj. It's slang originating from Minaj's fanbase and shouldn't be used formally.
To furnish with barbs, or with that which will hold or hurt like barbs, as an arrow, fishhook, spear, etc.
"The knight decided to barb his warhorse before charging into battle."
To cover a horse in armor.
In plain English: To barb means to protect a horse with metal coverings.
"The knight prepared for battle by having his destrier barbred with steel plates."
Usage: Barb (verb) means to protect a horse by covering it in metal armor, historically done for battle. Use this term specifically when referring to the practice of armoring horses; it's quite archaic and rarely used outside historical contexts.
A diminutive of the female given name Barbara.
"The grandmother affectionately called her granddaughter Barb every time she visited from out of town."
The word barb comes from the Old French term for "beard," which entered English through Middle French and Middle English as a doublet of the more common word beard. Originally referring to any beard or beard-like projection, it has retained this core meaning while also developing specific uses in contexts like fishing hooks and ship fittings.