kelp

American  

[kelp] / kɛlp /

noun

1. any large, brown, cold-water seaweed of the family Laminariaceae, used as food and in various manufacturing processes.

2. a bed or mass of such seaweeds.

3. the ash of these seaweeds.

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verb (used without object)

1. to burn these seaweeds for their ash.

kelp British  

/ kɛlp /

noun

1. any large brown seaweed, esp any in the order Laminariales

2. the ash of such seaweed, used as a source of iodine and potash

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kelp Scientific  

/ kĕlp /

1. 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.

2. See more at brown alga

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Etymology

Origin of kelp

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

Example Sentences

They discovered that when microscopic organisms such as yeast and mold fed on the kelp, the byproduct more closely resembled what they were seeking.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

“I actually laughed, surely there was no way they were being serious,” Tchinnis recalled after being told part of his job would be to DJ for the kelp.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

"In Strangford Lough, we have seagrass beds that support overwintering Brent Geese, rocky reefs with kelp forests and a range of species from starfish, anemones and crabs to seals and dolphins," he said.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

In a recent expedition to Antarctica, new cases were discovered in Antarctic cormorants, kelp gulls, Adelie and gentoo penguins, and Antarctic fur seals, Neira told AFP.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

I also watched the otter hunting in the kelp.

From "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell

Related Words

• seaweed