barbe
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barbe
(ˈbɑːb)n
1. Christianity a Waldensian missionary
2. (Clothing & Fashion) a type of high, pleated collar worn by widows and nuns in Medieval times
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
barb1
(bɑrb)n.
1. a point or pointed part projecting backward from a main point, as of a fishhook or arrowhead.
2. an obviously or openly unpleasant or carping remark.
3. a hooked or sharp bristle.
4. one of the series of paired parallel rods that attach to the central shaft of a feather and form its web. See illus. at feather.
5. one of a breed of domestic pigeons, similar to the carriers or homers, having a short, broad bill.
6.
a. any of numerous small, Old World cyprinid fishes of the genera Barbus and Puntius, often kept in aquariums.
7. Also, barbe. a linen covering for the neck and breast, worn by women in mourning in the 14th to 16th centuries.
8. Obs. a beard.
v.t. 9. to furnish with a barb or barbs.
[1300–50; Middle English barbe < Middle French « Latin barba beard, beardlike projection]
barb2
(bɑrb)n.
one of a breed of horses related to the Arabian, raised orig. in Barbary.
[1630–40; < French barbe < Italian barbero, derivative of Barberia Barbary]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.