barnacle
barnacle Lexical Profile
barnacle Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A marine crustacean with a calcareous shell that permanently attaches itself as an adult to hard surfaces such as rocks, pier pilings, ship hulls, or the bodies of large sea creatures.
"The ship's speed was significantly reduced because its hull was thickly encrusted with barnacles."
A person or thing that clings persistently and is extremely difficult to remove, often considered a useless or burdensome appendage.
"Over the years, the massive corporate structure had accumulated a host of bureaucratic barnacles that slowed down innovation."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'bernakel' via Old French 'bernacle', which originally referred to the barnacle goose. In medieval European folklore, these birds were erroneously believed to hatch from the shells of goose barnacles found clinging to driftwood, giving the crustacean its common name.