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Meaning of Barb | Babel Free

Noun CEFR C1 Standard
bɑː(ɹ)b

Definitions

  1. 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.
  2. The Barbary horse, a superior breed introduced from Barbary into Spain by the Moors.
  3. A barbiturate.
  4. Armor for a horse.
  5. A diminutive of the female given name Barbara.
  6. A fan of American rapper and singer Nicki Minaj.
  7. A hurtful or disparaging remark.
  8. A blackish or dun variety of pigeon, originally brought from Barbary.
  9. A surname.
  10. A beard, or that which resembles it, or grows in the place of it.
  11. One of the many side branches of a feather, which collectively constitute the vane.
  12. Any of various species of freshwater carp-like fish that have barbels and belong to the cyprinid family.
  13. The sciaenid fish Menticirrhus americanus, found along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States.
    US
  14. A hair or bristle ending in a double hook.
  15. A muffler, worn by nuns and mourners.
  16. Paps, or little projections, of the mucous membrane, which mark the opening of the submaxillary glands under the tongue in horses and cattle. The name is mostly applied when the barbs are inflamed and swollen.
  17. A bit for a horse.
  18. A plastic fastener, shaped roughly like a capital I (with serifs), used to attach socks etc. to their packaging.

Equivalents

العربية الطّرف سخرية
Български зъбе́ц
Bosanski žalac žaoka жалац жаока
Català barba llengüeta
Cymraeg adfach brath crafiad
Español barba lengüeta pincho púa Pulla puya
Français ardillon barbe
Galego barba barda loriga xota
עברית צנה
Magyar bajusz sertés szálka tüske
日本語
മലയാളം പരൽ
Nederlands weerhaak
Português barba betara farpa papa-terra
Српски žalac žaoka жалац жаока
Svenska giftighet hulling
ไทย เงี่ยง
Türkçe iğne
Українська колючка
Tiếng Việt cá mè ngành ngạnh

Examples

“Having two barbs or points.”
“to trade barbs”
“And she was the only girl in class who did not, sometime through the lesson, get a barb of sarcasm from Miss Brownell, though she made as many mistakes as the rest of them.”
““Maybe I just wanted to come and see for myself if you were real. Or if you were a figment of my imagination.” The barb hurt, but she didn't blame him.”
“His barbs about fake accounts have weakened trust in Twitter, just as the company prepares to moderate heated political discussions about an upcoming election in Brazil and the midterm elections this fall in the United States, misinformation experts said.”
“The barbel is so called […]by reason of his barbs, or wattles at his mouth.”
“His loftie steed with golden sell And goodly gorgeous barbes.”
“Why sends not the Bridegroom his promised gift, / Is his heart more cold, or his barb less swift?”
“However, in the last few years, the stud farms in Morocco and elsewhere in the world have rediscovered the qualities of the barb, which, in Berber tradition, remains the king of the "fantasias", a festival that is also becoming fashionable once again.”

In the Kingdom of the Horse: The National Studs of Morocco

“The benzos, it turns out, are just as highly addicting as the barbs, but they do have a much lower potential to cause death by overdose. […] The barbs became one of the most widely abused classes of drugs in the 1960s and 1970s.”
“The defensive armor with the horses of the ancient knights ... These are frequently, though improperly, stiled barbs.”
“Minaj is thrilled to be returning to her legion of Aussie Barbz this October in a brand new full-scale arena show.”
“I’m not a Barb, but Nicki Minaj totally made me do a 180 on the whole hating-her-songs-and-general-vibe thing I had going on when I went to review her in concert.”
“Lambs and Barbz, remain calm, but Mariah Carey is once again talking about her infamous feud with Nicki Minaj.”

CEFR level

C1
Advanced
This word is part of the CEFR C1 vocabulary — advanced level.
See all C1 English words →

See also

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