barnacle

B2 Topic:People & Society

US /ˈbɑːrnəkəl/ UK /ˈbɑːnəkl̩/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a marine crustacean with a shell that attaches itself permanently to surfaces such as rocks or ship hulls

The ship's hull was covered in barnacles after months at sea.
2

noun
a person or thing that clings tenaciously, or an obstacle difficult to remove

He was like a barnacle, never leaving her side.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a marine crustacean with a... cirripedesea acornrock barnacleacorn barnaclecrustacean

2 noun · a person or thing that... leech hanger-onclingerparasite limpet

Etymology

From Old French barnacle ('species of goose'), via Middle English bernacle; originally a type of goose, later transferred to the marine crustacean owing to a mistaken belief about its life cycle.

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# barnacle

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈbɑːrnəkəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbɑːnəkl̩/

## Meanings
1. a marine crustacean with a shell that attaches itself permanently to surfaces such as rocks or ship hulls
2. a person or thing that clings tenaciously, or an obstacle difficult to remove

## Examples
- The ship's hull was covered in barnacles after months at sea.
- He was like a barnacle, never leaving her side.

## Synonyms
- cirripede
- sea acorn
- rock barnacle
- acorn barnacle
- crustacean
- leech
- hanger-on
- clinger
- parasite
- limpet

## Etymology
From Old French barnacle ('species of goose'), via Middle English bernacle; originally a type of goose, later transferred to the marine crustacean owing to a mistaken belief about its life cycle.

## AI Etymology
Barnacle comes from Old French barnacle ('species of goose'), via Middle English bernacle; originally a type of goose, later transferred to the marine crustacean owing to a mistaken belief about its life cycle. In current use it is a noun meaning "a marine crustacean with a shell that attaches itself permanently to surfaces such as rocks or ship hulls". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. The semantic development is therefore important as well as the form: the word moves from the older concrete, technical, or literal setting into the present figurative or specialized sense.

## Topics
- People & Society

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barnacle

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