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 < ?

Explanation

Kelp is a common type of seaweed. You might encounter kelp scuba diving in the ocean, or even while diving into your miso soup. Kelp is a plant that grows in the ocean which you'll often see on the beach at low tide or waving in the water. Many people eat different forms of kelp too — in Japan, two popular edible seaweeds are arame and kombu, both types of kelp that you've probably tasted if you've dined on miso soup. Kelp comes from the Middle English culpe, but its earlier origins are a mystery.

Example Sentences

Others are much larger and multicellular, such as kelp, slime molds, and red algae.

From Science Daily • May 7, 2026

People assume it's rubbery, but that's Pacific kelp - Japanese kombu.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Sea otters are a keystone species in kelp forest ecosystems, eating sea urchins that would otherwise consume the kelp, according to the aquarium.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

They say more than 85 per cent of aquatic and marine vegetation, including saltmarsh, seagrass and kelp, has been lost over the past 50 years.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

Now it pulled the warm scent of brine-washed sea urchins, mussels, and kelp from the rocks and carried it gently across the beach and up the hill.

From "Son" by Lois Lowry

Related Words

• seaweed