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bar·bel¹

(bärbəl)

One of the slender, whiskerlike tactile organs extending from the head of certain fishes, such as catfishes. Also called barb¹.

[Obsolete French, from Old French, from Medieval Latin barbula, diminutive of Late Latin barbus, beard, from Latin barba; see bhardh-ā- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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barbel1

barbels on a channel catfish

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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