Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

barbel

/ˈbɑːɹbəl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.98 in modern English

Syllables
bar-bel
IPA
/ˈbɑːɹbəl/
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A freshwater fish of the genus Barbus or other closely related taxa in the cyprinid family.

noun

A barb or pap under the tongue of a cow or horse.

noun

A whisker-like sensory organ, located around the mouth of certain fish, including carp, catfish, goatfish, sturgeon, and some types of shark.

Example Sentences

Etymology

PIE word *bʰardʰéh₂ From Middle English barbel, from Old French barbel, from Vulgar Latin *barbellus, from Late Latin barbulus, diminutive of Latin barbus (“barbel”); barbus itself is from barba (“beard”). By surface analysis, Latin barb(us) (“beard, barbel”) + -el (diminutive suffix), and also, by surface analysis, barb (“sharp, extruding structure”) + -el (diminutive suffix).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: barbel, *barbellus, barbulus, barbus

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈbɑːɹbəl/
  • British English: /ˈbɑːbəl/

Inflected Forms

barbels (plural) barble (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

barbelgudgeon

Phrases

barbel steed

Frequently Paired Words

beardfish

Synonyms

barb feeler

Rhymes With

barbell tarbell marble garble barbal yarble

Questions

How do you pronounce barbel?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɑːɹbəl/.
What does barbel mean?
A freshwater fish of the genus Barbus or other closely related taxa in the cyprinid family.
Where does barbel come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce barbel

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “barbel”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbɑːɹbəl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “barbel”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “barbel” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.