Uncertain, with long-debated origin. From Middle English barnakille, from earlier bernake, bernekke, most likely from Old Northern French bernaque (“barnacle”) (compare French barnache), probably from Medieval Latin barneca (“limpet”), probably from Gaulish (compare Welsh brennig, Irish bairneach), from Proto-Celtic *barannīkos, from *barinā (“rock, rocky ground”) (compare Old Irish barenn (“boulder”)), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷr̥H- (“hill, mountain”) + Proto-Celtic *-ākos, from Proto-Indo-European *-kos, *-ḱos; for sense development, compare Ancient Greek λέπας (lépas, “rock”) which gave λεπάς (lepás, “limpet”). First attestations referred to the goose, with corresponding folklore (q.v.).
A marine crustacean of the subclass Cirripedia that attaches itself to submerged surfaces such as tidal rocks or the bottoms of ships.
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The barnacle goose.
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Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciencesSlang In electrical engineering, a change made to a product on the manufacturing floor that was not part of the original product design.
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences, SoftwareSlang A deprecated or obsolete file, image or other artifact that remains with a project even though it is no longer needed.
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In plural, Obsolete An instrument like a pair of pincers, to fix on the nose of a vicious horse while shoeing so as to make it more tractable.
Uncertain, with long-debated origin. From Middle English barnakille, from earlier bernake, bernekke, most likely from Old Northern French bernaque (“barnacle”) (compare French barnache), probably from Medieval Latin barneca (“limpet”), probably from Gaulish (compare Welsh brennig, Irish bairneach), from Proto-Celtic *barannīkos, from *barinā (“rock, rocky ground”) (compare Old Irish barenn (“boulder”)), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷr̥H- (“hill, mountain”) + Proto-Celtic *-ākos, from Proto-Indo-European *-kos, *-ḱos; for sense development, compare Ancient Greek λέπας (lépas, “rock”) which gave λεπάς (lepás, “limpet”). First attestations referred to the goose, with corresponding folklore (q.v.).
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To connect with or attach.
Tokuda went over everything his grandfather had taught him, including the commentary that had barnacled on to the core knowledge.2009, Liza Dalby, Hidden Buddhas: A Novel of Karma and Chaos, Stone Bridge Press, published 2009, →ISBN, page 178:
To dream that some things just barnacle to your heart, and it might take years, or it might always just be there.2020, “YTK, Lunar Cartographer”, in Timmy's Unbuttoned Gen X Meditations, performed by Good Fuck:
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To press close against something.
He turned a corner to where he supposed the cupboard might be, to find Howie and Alanna barnacled together in an embrace.2002, Douglas Coupland, All Families Are Psychotic, Vintage Canada, published 2002, →ISBN, page 16: