barbel

[ bahr-buhl ]
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noun
  1. a slender, external process on the jaw or other part of the head of certain fishes.

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

Origin of barbel

1
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 barbabeard) + Latin -ellus-elle

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How to use barbel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for barbel

barbel

/ (ˈbɑːbəl) /


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

  2. 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

Origin of barbel

1
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

Scientific definitions for barbel

barbel

[ bärbəl ]


  1. A slender, whiskerlike feeler extending from the head of certain fish, such as the catfish. It is used for touch and taste.

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