glasswort

[ glas-wurt, -wawrt, glahs- ]

noun
  1. any of several plants of the genus Salicornia, of the amaranth family, having succulent stems with rudimentary leaves, formerly used, when burned to ashes, as a source of soda for glassmaking.

Origin of glasswort

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; glass + wort2

Words Nearby glasswort

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

How to use glasswort in a sentence

  • The jointed glasswort Salicornia is here meant, not the true sampire, the crithmum maritimum.

    Poems, Volume I (of 3) | George Crabbe

British Dictionary definitions for glasswort

glasswort

/ (ˈɡlɑːsˌwɜːt) /


noun
  1. Also called: marsh samphire any plant of the chenopodiaceous genus Salicornia, of salt marshes, having fleshy stems and scalelike leaves: formerly used as a source of soda for glass-making

  2. another name for saltwort (def. 1)

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