goose barnacle

noun

See under barnacle1(def 1).

Origin of goose barnacle

First recorded in 1880–85

Words nearby goose barnacle

goop, goopy, goorie, goosander, goose, goose barnacle, goose bay, goose bumps, goose creek, goose egg, goose flesh

Definition for goose barnacle (2 of 2)

barnacle 1
[ bahr-nuh-kuh l ]
/ ˈbɑr nə kəl /

noun

any marine crustacean of the subclass Cirripedia, usually having a calcareous shell, being either stalked (goose barnacle) and attaching itself to ship bottoms and floating timber, or stalkless (rock barnacle or acorn barnacle) and attaching itself to rocks, especially in the intertidal zone.
a person or thing that clings tenaciously.

Origin of barnacle

1
1580–85; perhaps a conflation of barnacle barnacle goose with Cornish brennyk, Irish báirneach limpet, Welsh brenig limpets, reflecting the folk belief that such geese, whose breeding grounds were unknown, were engendered from rotten ships' planking

OTHER WORDS FROM barnacle

bar·na·cled, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for goose barnacle

  • This genus is commonly known as the ship-barnacle, also as the goose-barnacle.

    The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide |Augusta Foote Arnold

British Dictionary definitions for goose barnacle (1 of 2)

barnacle
/ (ˈbɑːnəkəl) /

noun

any of various marine crustaceans of the subclass Cirripedia that, as adults, live attached to rocks, ship bottoms, etc. They have feathery food-catching cirri protruding from a hard shell See acorn barnacle, goose barnacle
a person or thing that is difficult to get rid of

Derived forms of barnacle

barnacled, adjective

Word Origin for barnacle

C16: related to Late Latin bernicla, of obscure origin

British Dictionary definitions for goose barnacle (2 of 2)

goose barnacle

noun

any barnacle of the genus Lepas, living attached by a stalk to pieces of wood, having long feathery appendages (cirri) and flattened shells

Scientific definitions for goose barnacle

barnacle
[ bär′nə-kəl ]

Any of various small marine crustaceans of the subclass Cirripedia that form a hard shell in the adult stage and attach themselves to underwater surfaces, such as rocks, the bottoms of ships, and the skin of whales.