salp

noun

variants or less commonly salpa
: any of various transparent barrel-shaped or fusiform free-swimming tunicates (class Thaliacea) abundant in warm seas

Examples of salp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Andrew Jeffs, a marine science professor at the University of Auckland says that the pyrosome and the salp, a cousin of the pyrosome, are both important to tropical waters as a food source. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 28 Nov. 2021

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin, a kind of deep-sea fish, from Greek salpē

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of salp was in 1835

Dictionary Entries Near salp

Cite this Entry

“Salp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salp. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on salp

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!