[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
Recent Examples on the WebWorms, snails, clams, oysters, barnacles, mussels, sea stars, algae, and kelp all thrive here, providing food, filtering water, and producing oxygen.—Kylie Mohr, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2023 Whales do have some luck ridding themselves of barnacles and dead skin while breaching, or jumping forcefully out of the water and crashing back down.—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 May 2023 Many marine organisms, including oysters, barnacles, fish and coral, rely on ocean currents during their larval stage to find suitable habitats.—The Conversation, oregonlive, 22 July 2023 Within six months of installation, the reefs teem with the oysters, barnacles, fish and crabs of Mobile Bay.—Mary Helene Hall | Mhall@al.com, al, 19 July 2023 Think wild turbot from the Basque coast, thumb-size barnacles from Galicia, and the fattest red prawns straight from the Costa Brava.—Matt Goulding, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2023 Together, the photos demonstrate the dynamism of the intertidal zone, where mussels, barnacles and seaweed clamor for real estate.—J. Besl, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 June 2023 The details are still being worked out, but broadly, the ASTM/HOK plan would demolish the 5,000-seat theater that now clings like a barnacle to the Garden’s underside and hangs down into the station.—Curbed, 17 Apr. 2023 Using the barnacles as one of many clues, Plafker made more than 800 measurements that summer of land shoved upward.—Ned Rozell | Alaska Science, Anchorage Daily News, 8 July 2023 See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'barnacle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English barnakille, alteration of bernake, bernekke
: any of numerous small saltwater crustaceans with feathery outgrowths for gathering food that are free-swimming as larvae but as adults are permanently fastened (as to rocks or the bottoms of ships)
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