# barbel

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbɑːbəl/ · frequency rank #96,763

## Definitions
1. A freshwater fish of the genus Barbus or other closely related genera.
2. 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.

## Etymology
PIE word
 *bʰardʰéh₂
From Middle English barbel, from Old French barbel, from Vulgar Latin *barbellus, from Late Latin barbulus, diminutive of Latin barbus. By surface analysis, barb (“sharp, extruding structure”) + -el (diminutive suffix).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/barbel