Barbed Wire
/ˌbɑːrbd ˈwaɪər/noun
Wire fitted with sharp metal barbs, used chiefly for fencing, security, or confinement.
Did you know?In the American West, barbed wire helped end the open-range era by making cheap, nearly invisible fencing possible across enormous distances.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhar-dha
“A pointed or projecting growth; the proposed ancient root behind Latin barba, “beard,” and ultimately barb.”
Latin, 1st Century BCE–CE
Latin
barba
“Beard; the hair growing from the chin and cheeks.”
Old French, 12th Century
Old French
barbe
“Beard, or a beardlike projection; source of English barb.”
Old English, before 1000
Old English
wīr
“Metal thread or slender strand; ancestor of modern wire.”
14th–16th Century
English
barb; wire
“Barb meant a sharp point or hooked projection, while wire referred to drawn metallic thread.”
1870s
English
barbed wire
“A compound term for wire fitted with sharp barbs; its widespread manufacture and patenting transformed fencing in the American West.”