A thin, whisker-like sensory organ found around the mouth of certain fish, used for detecting food and touch; also a fish of the carp family.
From French 'barbeau' or medieval Latin 'barbellus,' diminutive of 'barba' (beard). The word describes both the sensory appendage and the fish itself, with the structure giving the animal its name.
Fish barbels are packed with taste buds and touch receptors—they're basically underwater fingers that let fish 'taste' the water around them, meaning that 'beard' nickname is actually perfect because it's how the fish feels its way around!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.