Adjacent Words

Barbel definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

B'ARBEL, n. [L. barba.]
1. A fish of the genus Cyprinus, of the order of abdominals. The mouth is toothless; the gill has three rays; the body is smooth and white. This fish is about three feet long, and weighs 18 pounds. It is a very coarse fish, living in deep still rivers and rooting like swine in the soft banks. Its dorsal fin is armed with a strong spine, sharply serrated, from which circumstance it probably received its name.
2. A knot of superfluous flesh, growing in the channels of a horse's mouth; written also barble, or barb.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: slender tactile process on the jaws of a fish [syn: barbel, feeler]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *barbellus, diminutive of Latin barbus barbel, from barba beard — more at beard Date: 14th century a European freshwater cyprinid fish (Barbus barbus) with four barbels on its upper jaw; also any of various closely related fishes II. noun Etymology: obsolete French, from Middle French, diminutive of barbe barb, beard Date: 1601 a slender tactile process on the lips of certain fishes (as catfishes)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 any large European freshwater fish of the genus Barbus, with fleshy filaments hanging from its mouth. 2 such a filament growing from the mouth of any fish. Etymology: ME f. OF f. LL barbellus dimin. of barbus barbel f. barba beard

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Barb Barb, n. [F. barbe, fr. L. barba beard. See Beard, n.] 1. Beard, or that which resembles it, or grows in the place of it. The barbel, so called by reason of his barbs, or wattles in his mouth. --Walton. 2. A muffler, worn by nuns and mourners. [Obs.] 3. pl. Paps, or little projections, of the mucous membrane, which mark the opening of the submaxillary glands under the tongue in horses and cattle. The name is mostly applied when the barbs are inflamed and swollen. [Written also barbel and barble.] 4. The point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc., to prevent it from being easily extracted. Hence: Anything which stands out with a sharp point obliquely or crosswise to something else. ``Having two barbs or points.'' --Ascham. 5. A bit for a horse. [Obs.] --Spenser. 6. (Zo["o]l.) One of the side branches of a feather, which collectively constitute the vane. See Feather. 7. (Zo["o]l.) A southern name for the kingfishes of the eastern and southeastern coasts of the United States; -- also improperly called whiting. 8. (Bot.) A hair or bristle ending in a double hook.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Barbel Bar"bel, n.[OE. barbel, F. barbeau, dim. of L. barbus barbel, fr. barba beard. See 1st Barb.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) A slender tactile organ on the lips of certain fished. 2. (Zo["o]l.) A large fresh-water fish ( Barbus vulgaris) found in many European rivers. Its upper jaw is furnished with four barbels. 3. pl. Barbs or paps under the tongued of horses and cattle. See 1st Barb, 3.

Moby Thesaurus

antenna, barb, barbule, bristle, cat whisker, feeler, palp, palpus, setula, setule, striga, stubble, tactile cell, tactile corpuscle, tactile hair, tactile organ, tactile process, tactor, vibrissa