A fence or barrier made of wire with sharp barbs spaced along its length, designed to keep animals in or out and prevent trespassing.
Compound of 'barb' (sharp projection) and 'wire,' invented in the 1870s American West. 'Barb' derives from Latin 'barba' (beard), while 'wire' comes from Proto-Germanic.
Barbed wire was patented in 1874 and literally changed the American West—it transformed open prairie into fenced ranches and made the Wild West less wild overnight!
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