Plural of bernicle; multiple barnacles or references to the mythical barnacle geese of medieval legend.
Plural form of bernicle, with standard '-es' suffix; the variant spelling persisted through Middle English and Early Modern English literature.
The barnacle goose legend was so persistent that it affected European law—some religious authorities classified these 'geese' as shellfish rather than birds, allowing them to be eaten during Lent!
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