barbel

• barble

Borrowed from Old French barbel, from Vulgar Latin *barbellus, from Late Latin barbulus, diminutive of Latin barbus.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbɑːbəl/
• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)bəl

barbel (plural barbels)

1. A freshwater fish of the genus Barbus or other closely related genera.
   • 1603, John Florio, transl.; Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in The Essayes, […], book II, printed at London: By Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:

     The Barble fishes, if one of them chance to be engaged, will set the line against their backes, and with a fin they have, toothed like a sharp saw, presently saw and fret the same asunder.

2. (biology) Whisker-like sensory organs, located around the mouth of certain fish, including catfish, carp, goatfish, sturgeon, and some types of shark.
3. A barb or pap under the tongues of horses and cattle.

• barble, rabble

From barbe + -el, or by analogy from Latin barbula.

barbel m (oblique plural barbeaus or barbeax or barbiaus or barbiax or barbels, nominative singular barbeaus or barbeax or barbiaus or barbiax or barbels, nominative plural barbel)

1. barb (something which stands out with a sharp point)

• French: barbelé

From Vulgar Latin *barbellus, from Late Latin barbulus, diminutive of Latin barbus (“a type of fish”).

barbel m (oblique plural barbeaus or barbeax or barbiaus or barbiax or barbels, nominative singular barbeaus or barbeax or barbiaus or barbiax or barbels, nominative plural barbel)

1. barbel (fish)

• English: barbel
• French: barbeau

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (barbel)