barb

nouns

an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect
"his parting shot was `drop dead'"; "she threw shafts of sarcasm"; "she takes a dig at me every chance she gets"
barb, dig, gibe, jibe, shaft, shot, slam
the pointed part of barbed wire
barb
is a part of
strong wire with barbs at regular intervals used to prevent passage
barbed wire, barbwire
is a type of (narrower)
sharp end
"he stuck the point of the knife into a tree"; "he broke the point of his pencil"
point
a subsidiary point facing opposite from the main point that makes an arrowhead or spear hard to remove
barb
is a part of
the pointed head or striking tip of an arrow
arrowhead
is a part of
a curved or bent implement for suspending or pulling something
hook
is a part of
a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
lance, shaft, spear
is a type of (narrower)
sharp end
"he stuck the point of the knife into a tree"; "he broke the point of his pencil"
point
one of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather
barb
is a part of
the flattened weblike part of a feather consisting of a series of barbs on either side of the shaft
vane, web
is a type of (narrower)
a very slender natural or synthetic fiber
fibril, filament, strand

verbs

provide with barbs
"barbed wire"
barb
is a type of (narrower)
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
"The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
alter, change, modify