An archaic or variant plural form referring to a type of marine crustacean known as barnacles, particularly those that attach to ships and rocks.
From Latin anatife, possibly derived from ana- 'upon' plus -fife related to 'fix' or 'attach.' The word refers to these creatures' habit of attaching firmly to surfaces.
Medieval sailors believed barnacles (anatifa) were actually birds in their larval stage—they called them 'barnacle geese' because no one had ever found their eggs.
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