glasswort

American  

[glas-wurt, -wawrt, glahs-] / ˈglæsˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt, ˈglɑs- /

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.

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glasswort British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of glasswort

First recorded in 1590–1600; glass + wort ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

glasswort

Salsola Kali, an allied plant with rigid, fleshy, spinous-pointed leaves, which was used for the same purpose, was known as prickly glasswort.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 1 "Gichtel, Johann" to "Glory" by Various

Though a humble enough plant in itself, the samphire, or glasswort, is the source of a wonderful glory in our marshes in the autumn.

From The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits by Mary Elizabeth Parsons

The fleshy leaves at a little distance suggest the form of many plants of brackish marsh and creek edges, and even the glasswort itself.

From The Garden, You, and I by Mabel Osgood Wright

The glasswort has leaves, it is true, but they are thick and fleshy, continuous with the stem, and each one terminating in a sharp, needle-like spine, which effectually protects the weed against all browsing aggressors.

From Science in Arcady by Grant Allen

There the local flora was represented by a wide carpet of samphire, a small umbelliferous plant that keeps quite nicely, which also boasts the names glasswort, saxifrage, and sea fennel.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by F. P. Walter