Main Entry: bar·na·cle

Pronunciation: \ˈbär-ni-kəl\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English barnakille, alteration of bernake, bernekke

Date: 15th century

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

— bar·na·cled \-kəld\ adjective

[barnacle illustration]