English
barbel
Barbel comes from Old French barbel ‘barbel (fish)’, from Latin barba ‘beard’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰardʰéh₂.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰardʰéh₂‘beard’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*farðā‘beard’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbarba‘beard’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEbarbus
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEbarbulusdiminutive of barbus
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*barbellusreconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400barbel‘barbel (fish)’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1603same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰardʰéh₂‘beard’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*farðā‘beard’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbarba‘beard’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEbarbus
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEbarbulusdiminutive of barbus
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*barbellusreconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400barbel‘barbel (fish)’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1603same form
Earliest quotation: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes […]: “The Barble fishes, if one of them chance to…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰers- ‘top, tip, point’
far, brush, prod, braid, bristle, fash, borscht, farro, beardless, 14 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰardʰéh₂ ‘beard’
Today it means
noun A freshwater fish of the genus Barbus or other closely related taxa in the cyprinid family.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰardʰéh₂ / barbel