Talk:barb

I split off one meaning (Barbary horse) from what is now under Etymology 1, but further splits may be necessary (to me, the zoology meanings look as if they may have different etymologies). Ncik 18:00, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

• @DCDuring, sense 7 is so unclear that I can't figure out what fish they're referring to, or if one could even find cites for it. You might have fun with this one. —Μετάknowledge^{discuss/deeds} 04:34, 13 March 2018 (UTC)

I used w:Whiting (fish) to get started; supplemented [[whiting]] (needs some cleanup); inferred which species: "Menticirrhus americanus (Carolina whiting, king whiting, southern kingcroaker, and southern kingfish) found along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States."; looked up barb in DARE for confirmation. Since it wasn't too hard to finish the job, it was fun. DCDuring (talk) 14:18, 13 March 2018 (UTC)

As to citations, it's very hard to find uses, rather than mentions in lists of synonyms or dictionaries like DARE, for many vernacular names. In the US, government reports often have such synonym lists to help folks in agriculture, horticulture, fishing, etc connect their experience with a part of the report that concerns one of "their" species. Such mentions seem like good evidence that a term has been used, but don't meet our attestation standards. DCDuring (talk) 14:26, 13 March 2018 (UTC)

Barb is not one of the several vernacular names given at Fishbase for the species. DCDuring (talk) 14:42, 13 March 2018 (UTC)

berbe?

Regarding the sense of a Barbary horse (etymology 2), note this entry for berbe from Webster 1913. (It might well be Middle English, since W1913 did not make the distinction. I couldn't find it in Chaucer though.)

• Compare Berber, Barb, a Barbary horse.
• Zoology: An African genet (Genetta pardina).

Equinox ◑ 05:23, 13 December 2019 (UTC)