barnacle
|bar-na-cle|
🇺🇸
/ˈbɑr.nə.kəl/
🇬🇧
/ˈbɑː.nə.kəl/
marine crustacean
Etymology
'barnacle' originates from Middle English and Anglo-Norman, ultimately from Medieval Latin 'bernacula', where the term was associated with the 'barnacle goose' and the shellfish thought to be linked to it.
'barnacle' changed from Medieval Latin 'bernacula' into Old French/Anglo-Norman forms such as 'berniecle'/'bernacle', and then entered Middle English as 'barnacle', giving the modern English word.
Initially, the term was used for the shellfish (and in medieval belief for the barnacle goose thought to arise from it); over time it settled into modern usage meaning the sessile crustacean and, figuratively, something that clings.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a small marine crustacean (order Cirripedia) with a hard calcareous shell that permanently attaches to rocks, ship hulls, and other surfaces.
A barnacle had attached itself to the boat's hull.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a person or thing that clings persistently or attaches itself firmly to something.
He became a barnacle at the office, always around when help was needed.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Verb 1
to attach or become attached to something in the manner of a barnacle; to encrust with barnacles.
The buoy had barnacled over the winter.
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Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/22 03:34