gulfweed

[ guhlf-weed ]

noun

1. a coarse, olive-brown, branching seaweed, Sargassum bacciferum, common in the Gulf Stream and tropical American seas, characterized by numerous berrylike air vessels.
2. any seaweed of the same genus.

gulfweed

/ ˈɡʌlfˌwiːd /

noun

1. any brown seaweed of the genus Sargassum, esp S. bacciferum, having air bladders and forming dense floating masses in tropical Atlantic waters, esp the Gulf Stream Also calledsargassosargasso weed

Word History and Origins

Origin of gulfweed¹

First recorded in 1665–75; gulf + weed ¹

Example Sentences

Some sea-horses cling by their tails to gulfweed or sea-wrack.

From Project Gutenberg

Sea-lentil is a name sometimes applied to the gulfweed Sargassum vulgare.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• algae