barnacle

noun bar·na·cle \ ˈbär-ni-kəl \

|Updated on: 16 May 2018

Definition of barnacle

1 : barnacle goose

[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

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barnacled

play \-kəld\ adjective

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Recent Examples of barnacle from the Web

Gogo Jewelry has been channeling nature into jewelry for more than 30 years, and celebrities such as Bill and Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and even Vladimir Putin’s ex-wife Lyudmila have become fans of Gogo’s barnacle rings and shell earrings.

— hallie levine sklar, Town & Country, "The Complete Guide to Sea Island, Georgia," 28 July 2017
Use a sharp paring knife to scrape off any barnacles or dirt on the shells, and check for beards.

— rochelle bilow, Bon Appetit, "How to Cook Mussels Like Some Kind of Professional Mussel-Cooker," 9 Apr. 2018
In the days of wooden ships, when no dry dock was available, a captain would have the crew careen the ship, tilt it on its side on a beach to clear off barnacles and make repairs to the hull.

— john e. mcintyre, baltimoresun.com, "What an editor can learn from a dog-whistle edit," 29 Mar. 2018
The filtered mash gets a second life in animal deterrent sprays and coatings that keep barnacles off boat hulls.

— tristan baurick, NOLA.com, "Tabasco's homeland fights for survival in Louisiana against storms and rising seas," 27 Jan. 2018
Some of his visitors travel more than 15 hours by plane for a 35-minute ride with Moullec and his avian companions, often spotting cranes and geese like the brent, barnacle, red-breasted, and greylag species.

— National Geographic, "Stunning Video Shows a Man Flying With Birds," 4 Jan. 2018
This contributes to the growth of an underground economy in which shoe companies, agents, financial advisors and other barnacles attach themselves to athletes who are short on cash but long on earning potential.

— tim sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "It's time to stop pretending that a 'free ride' is just compensation for college athletes | Tim Sullivan," 6 Jan. 2018
The chopped horse mussel cooked briefly with diced aromatics, was a mere 50 years old, its ancient shell bristling with barnacles and fossilized algae.

— jonathan gold, latimes.com, "The world's most influential restaurant reinvents itself. Jonathan Gold tastes the changes," 2 Mar. 2018
Hicks seemed like the one barnacle that would never dislodge from the sinking presidency.

— luke darby, GQ, "Hope Hicks Sure Tendered Her Resignation at an Odd Time," 28 Feb. 2018

These 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.