barbel

[ bahr-buh l ]

/ ˈbɑr bəl /

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noun

a slender, external process on the jaw or other part of the head of certain fishes.

any of various cyprinoid fishes of the genus Barbus, especially B. barbus, of European waters.

Nearby words

Origin of barbel

1400–1450; late Middle English barbell < Middle French barbel (French barbeau) < Vulgar Latin *barbellus, equivalent to Late Latin barb(us) a barbel (fish) (akin to Latin barba beard) + Latin -ellus -elle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for barbel

It is nearly related to the barbel, and has a small barbel or fleshy appendage at each corner of the mouth.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6|Various
She did so; and after playing his barbel for ten minutes Gilray landed it.
My Lady Nicotine|J. M. Barrie
The roe of the European barbel is said to cause frequent poisoning, not usually of a serious sort.
Food Poisoning|Edwin Oakes Jordan
Besides that string of four-ounce dace, we have every now and then a sample of barbel and trout.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 62, Number 361, November, 1845.|Various

The barbel being a sharp biter, strike the moment you feel a nibble.
Every Boy's Book: A Complete Encyclopdia of Sports and Amusements|Various

British Dictionary definitions for barbel

barbel

/ (ˈbɑːbəl) /

noun

any of several slender tactile spines or bristles that hang from the jaws of certain fishes, such as the catfish and carp

any of several European cyprinid fishes of the genus Barbus, esp B. barbus, that resemble the carp but have a longer body and pointed snout

Word Origin for barbel

C14: from Old French, from Latin barbus, from barba beard

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for barbel