Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “barb” come from?

Barb comes from Middle English barbe, from Middle French barbe, from Old French barbe, from Latin barba meaning beard.

barb (English): The point that stands backward in an arrow,...

Definitions

  1. The point that stands backward in an arrow,...

Ancestry of “barb”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbarbiturateAny salt or ester of barbituric acid; Any of...
2GermanBarbiturat—
3Frenchbarbiturique—
4GermanBarbitursäure—
5GermanBarbara—
6Latinbarbaraa wild, savage, cruel, barbarous, shameless, or...
7Latinbarbarusforeign; savage; uncivilized
8Ancient Greekβάρβαροςnon-Greek-speaking, foreign; barbaric, brutal,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbalb-—

Words derived from “barb”

  • barbwire
  • barbless
  • barbative
  • interbarb
  • debarb
Every word from Proto-Indo-European balb- →