barba-, barb-, barbat-

1. One of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather.
2. A subsidiary point facing opposite from the main point that makes an arrowhead or spear hard to remove.
3. The pointed part of barbed wire.
4. From Old French barbe, "beard, beardlike appendage"; from Latin barba, "beard", cognate with Old English beard.

1. Red beard, a famous name from several historical situations.
2. A famous barbary pirate who died in 1546.
3. The Holy Roman Emperor from 1152 to 1190; conceded supremacy to the pope; drowned while leading the Third Crusade (1123-1190).

1. A reference to a bearded condition or relating to unshaven hair on the cheeks and chin: Jane could describe the face of the burglar as being barbate with stiff gray whiskers.
2. In botany, plants that have long stiff fibers: Such plants, like oats and barley, have hairlike structures and are described as being barbate grains.

Go to these pages about Beards: Historical Presentation AND to Hair and Beard Styles from the 14th century to the 7th century B.C. so you can see much more about beards.

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Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
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Relating to something that has sharp points: Sam put up some barbated wire in addition to the wooden fence to keep the cattle inside the enclosure.

The moth had beautiful barbated antennae that were quite spiky..

A slender sensory tactile process on the lips of certain fish, such as catfish and cyprinoids: Some other fish, like the carp, goatfish, and a few kinds of sharks also have such barbels

The large European fresh-water fish (Barbus fluviatilis), possesses four barbels on its upper jaw, including any of various other species of Barbus.

Barbels or paps are also under the tongue of horses and cattle.

Referring to short, stiff, hooked bristles or hairs: Mrs. Dawson didn't want to kiss her husband on his cheek because of his barbellat short hairs in his face.

A very small barb or bristle: Mary saw and felt a little barbellula on her chin which she pulled out with tweezers.

1. Someone whose business is to cut hair and to shave or trim beards: Jack's father was a barber who had a shop downtown where usually men came to have their hair cut and face shaved.
2. Originally, a regular practitioner of surgery and dentistry: A barber was often called barber-surgeons, however they were restricted to haircutting and dentistry under Henry VIII.

A history page about barbers and barber poles.

To cut or trim a person's hair: Jenny wanted to barber her sister's hair, so she had to get special scissors to do the job.

1. A bird of the family Bucconidae, allied to the Cuckoos: Barbets have a large, conical beak swollen at the base, and bearded with five bunches of stiff bristles; the puff bird.

The barbet inhabits tropical America and Africa.
2. A variety of small dog, having long curly hair: Jenny always wanted to have a poodle, or barbet, so she and her parents decided to get one.

1. A platform or mound of earth within a fort from which guns are fired over the parapet: When playing with his building blocks, little Benny built the fortification, and had to find the little soldiers for shooting over the barbette. 2. An armored protective cylinder around a revolving gun turret on a warship: A barbette is an armored structure securing a gun turret on a warship
3. Etymology: from French, a diminutive of barbe, "beard".

A reference to a beard or beards.

Outdated, humorous, relating to the fact of having a beard or being hairy: For the stage play, a barbigerous man was to play the part of the funny old fellow.

1. Botany, a very minute barb or beard: Samdy had to be very careful of the little cactus she had in her room, because the barbules were so tiny and minuscule and could be very painful if touched.
2. One of the processes along the edges of the barbs of a feather, by which adjacent barbs interlock: A barbule is a small barb or pointed projection, especially one of the small projections fringing the edges of the barbs of feathers.