barbicel

[bahr-buh-sel]

noun Ornithology.

one of the minute processes fringing the barbules of certain feathers.

Origin of barbicel

1865–70; < New Latin barbicella, equivalent to Latin barbi- (combining form of barba beard) + -cella diminutive suffix

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British Dictionary definitions for barbicel

barbicel

noun

ornithol any of the minute hooks on the barbules of feathers that interlock with those of adjacent barbules

Word Origin for barbicel

C19: from New Latin barbicella, literally: a small beard, from Latin 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