barnacle

Any cirriped crustacean adhering to rocks, floating timber, ships, etc., esp. (a) the sessile species (genus Balanus and allies), and (b) the stalked or goose barnacles (genus Lepas and allies). See Cirripedia, and Goose barnacle. Barnacle eater (Zoöl.), the orange filefish. -- Barnacle scale (Zoöl.), a bark louse (Ceroplastes cirripediformis) of the orange and quince trees in Florida. The female scale curiously resembles a sessile barnacle in form. A bernicle goose. 1. pl. (Far.) An instrument for pinching a horse's nose, and thus restraining him. Note: [Formerly used in the sing.] The barnacles . . . give pain almost equal to that of the switch. Youatt. 2. pl. Spectacles; -- so called from their resemblance to the barnacles used by farriers. [Cant, Eng.] Dickens.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), United States public domain. See methodology for full licensing detail. Word validity for game play may differ from any official game dictionary.