The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Barbed \Barbed\, a. Furnished with a barb or barbs; as, a barbed arrow; barbed wire. [1913 Webster] Barbed wire, a wire, or a strand of twisted wires, armed with barbs or sharp points. It is used for fences. [1913 Webster]WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
barbed wire n 1: strong wire with barbs at regular intervals used to prevent passage [syn: barbed wire, barbwire]