barbel
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.
Origin of barbel
1Words Nearby barbel
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use barbel in a sentence
In the former are several varieties, and some of enormous size, resembling the barbel.
barbel, roach, club, and gudgeon are plentiful round the Bell Weir; and trout are often taken.
Head, about one-fifth the whole length; snout, very blunt, with a small barbel on the lower lip.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast | Harry Thom PayneEach maxillary is provided with a small barbel; and the gill-covers are armed with short stiff spines.
Though called the salmon of India, the mahseer is really a species of barbel.
British Dictionary definitions for barbel
/ (ˈbɑːbəl) /
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
Origin of barbel
1Collins 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
[ bär′bəl ]
A slender, whiskerlike feeler extending from the head of certain fish, such as the catfish. It is used for touch and taste.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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