Where does “barbwire” come from?
barbwire (English) comes from English barb, from English barbiturate, from German Barbiturat, from French barbiturique, from German Barbitursäure, from German Barbara, from Latin barbara, from Latin barbarus.
barbwire (English): Alternative spelling of barbed wire
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of barbed wire
Ancestry of “barbwire”, step by step
barbwire traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English barb
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | barb | The point that stands backward in an arrow,... |
| 2 | English | barbiturate | Any salt or ester of barbituric acid; Any of... |
| 3 | German | Barbiturat | barbiturate |
| 4 | French | barbiturique | barbiturate |
| 5 | German | Barbitursäure | — |
| 6 | German | Barbara | popular especially in the mid-twentieth century |
| 7 | Latin | barbara | a wild, savage, cruel, barbarous, shameless, or... |
| 8 | Latin | barbarus | foreign; savage; uncivilized |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | βάρβαρος | non-Greek-speaking, foreign; barbaric, brutal,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | balb- | — |
via English wire
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wire | Metal formed into a thin, even thread, now... |
| 2 | Middle English | wir | — |
| 3 | Old English | wīr | wire, metal thread, wire-ornament |
| 4 | English | myrtle | An evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus... |
| 5 | Old French | myrte | — |
| 6 | Latin | myrtus | myrtle |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | μύρτος | myrtle; twig or spray of myrtle |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | μυρίκη | tamarisk |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | -ίκη | — |