barnacle
noun
bar·na·cle
| \ ˈbär-ni-kəl
\
\
Definition of barnacle
1
: barnacle goose
2
[ from a popular belief that the goose grew from the crustacean ]
: any of numerous marine crustaceans (subclass Cirripedia) with feathery appendages for gathering food that are free-swimming as larvae but permanently fixed (as to rocks, boat hulls, or whales) as adults
Illustration of barnacle
barnacle 2: 1 peduncle, 2 cirri
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Other Words from barnacle
barnacled
\ ˈbär-ni-kəld
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of barnacle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After that were barnacles, then gastropods [such as snails and slugs], then bivalves such as clams. — Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, "Don’t Believe the Hype: The Pumice Raft Won’t Save the Great Barrier Reef," 30 Aug. 2019 Here are all the details Fast facts about lobsters Lobsters are considered marine crustaceans along with shrimp, krill and barnacles. — Joanne Kempinger Demski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Lobster Fest indulges shellfish lovers for 3 days, while local restaurants feed the craving all year," 7 Aug. 2019 Motorists must then take the barnacle to a drop-off location within 24 hours. — USA TODAY, "Ink library, parking barnacles, lunar training grounds: News from around our 50 states," 9 July 2019 The barnacles will be attached to vehicles with three or more past-due parking tickets or with more than $108 in parking fines. — USA TODAY, "Ink library, parking barnacles, lunar training grounds: News from around our 50 states," 9 July 2019 The bivalve mollusc is covered in algae and barnacles, lacking the clean lines most often associated with scallops. — Nick Rahaim, SFChronicle.com, "Without abalone, spearfishing hooks North Coast anglers," 17 June 2019 The experience of a simple meal of oysters, clams, scallops and gooseneck barnacles comes very close to sampling the sea in its purest form. — Tom Downey, WSJ, "A Spanish Food and Wine Region Comes Alive Again," 6 Dec. 2018 There are huddles of the Spanish delicacy percebes (goose barnacles); clusters of indigo mussels clinging to black metamorphic nobs. — Tamar Adler, Vogue, "Is Seaweed the Perfect Food?," 15 Feb. 2019 Parasitoids are known for manipulating the behavior of their hosts to gain an evolutionary advantage (think tapeworms, fleas and ticks, barnacles, Chinese liver flukes). — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "A Brazilian Wasp Exhibits Mind Control Over Unsuspecting Spiders," 30 Nov. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'barnacle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for barnacle
barnacle
noun
English Language Learners Definition of barnacle
: a kind of small shellfish that attaches itself to rocks and the bottoms of boats underwater
See the full definition for barnacle in the English Language Learners Dictionary
barnacle
noun
bar·na·cle
| \ ˈbär-ni-kəl
\
\
Kids Definition of barnacle
: a small saltwater crustacean that becomes permanently attached (as to rocks or the bottoms of boats) as an adult
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