kelp

[ kelp ]

See synonyms for kelp on Thesaurus.com

noun

any large, brown, cold-water seaweed of the family Laminariaceae, used as food and in various manufacturing processes.
a bed or mass of such seaweeds.

the ash of these seaweeds.

verb (used without object)

to burn these seaweeds for their ash.

Origin of kelp

1350–1400; apparently dialectal variant of Middle English culp< ?

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for kelp

kelp

/ (kɛlp) /

noun

any large brown seaweed, esp any in the order Laminariales
the ash of such seaweed, used as a source of iodine and potash

Origin of kelp

C14: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for kelp

kelp

[ kĕlp ]

Any of various brown, often very large seaweeds that grow in colder ocean regions. Kelps are varieties of brown algae of the order Laminariales, with some species growing over 61 m (200 ft) long. Kelps are harvested as food (primarily in eastern Asia), as fertilizer, and for their sodium and potassium salts, used in industrial processes. Kelps are also a source of thickening agents and colloid stabilizers used in many commercial products. See more at brown alga.

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