The Spanish word 'barza', meaning 'bramble' or 'thicket', comes from the Latin word 'virgea', meaning 'made of twigs or rods'. Over time, the Latin word evolved both in pronunciation and meaning - from describing things made of twigs to referring to the thorny, tangled plants themselves. The shift from 'v' to 'b' is a common sound change between Latin and Spanish, as seen in many other words.

While 'barza' is not commonly used in modern Spanish, it shares some distant connection with words like 'vara' (rod or stick) and 'verga' (rod or pole), though these come from different but related Latin roots.

The English word 'verge' (meaning edge or border) and 'virgulate' (striped or rod-shaped) are distant relatives, both coming from the same Latin family of words related to rods and sticks. While their meanings have diverged, they share the ancient connection to the concept of straight, stick-like objects.