barnacle

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*-kos
2. Proto-Celtic · derived from*-ākos
3. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gʷr̥H-“hill, mountain”
4. Proto-Celtic · derived from*barannīkos
5. Medieval Latin · derived frombarneca“limpet”
6. Old Northern French · derived frombernaque“barnacle”
7. Middle English · inherited frombarnakille
8. English todaybarnacle

Uncertain, with long-debated origin. From Middle English barnakille, from earlier bernake, bernekke, most likely from Old Northern French bernaque (“barnacle”) (compare French barnache), probably from Medieval Latin barneca (“limpet”), probably from Gaulish (compare Welsh brennig, Irish bairneach), from Proto-Celtic *barannīkos, from *barinā (“rock, rocky ground”) (compare Old Irish barenn (“boulder”)), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷr̥H- (“hill, mountain”) + Proto-Celtic *-ākos, from Proto-Indo-European *-kos, *-ḱos; for sense development, compare Ancient Greek λέπας (lépas, “rock”) which gave λεπάς (lepás, “limpet”). First attestations referred to the goose, with corresponding folklore (q.v.).