Barbing

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The process of forming pointed protrusions for cutting or catching
2. The technique of adding sharp edges to an object for functional or aesthetic purposes
3. The act of shaping small, sharp points that stick out from an edge or surface to enhance grip or defense

Etymology: Barbing is simply the present participle and gerund of "barb", so its story is really the story of the barb. That word came into English in the Middle Ages from Middle French "barbe", which descends from Old French "barbe", meaning "beard" or anything beard-like. The sense of a backward-pointing hook on a fishhook or arrow came from that resemblance: the hook's projecting point looked like a bristle of hair on the chin. The same Latin-rooted image lies behind the feather barb, the fine branch of hairs running off a feather's shaft. Barb and beard are doublets, two words from one ancestor that entered English by different routes. "Beard" came straight through Old English, while "barb" arrived later through French, so the two have diverged in form and meaning while keeping the same root.

Synonyms: pricking, piercing, stinging, biting, cutting