barnacle

views updated

barnacle wild goose Anas leucopsis XIII; marine crustacean XVI. ME. bernak, -ek(ke), corr, to medL. bernaca, -eca, whence app. F. barnache; barnacle(XV) corr. to F. barnacle, but may be of independent orig. ult. source unkn. The two meanings depend on an early belief that the goose was generated from a shellfish.

More From encyclopedia.com