glasswort

noun

glass·​wort ˈglas-ˌwərt How to pronounce glasswort (audio)
-ˌwȯrt
: any of a genus (Salicornia) of woody jointed succulent herbs of the amaranth family with leaves reduced to fleshy sheaths

called also pickleweed

Examples of glasswort 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.
Recent studies have provided new insights into why the desert sand rat might crave the salty sap of glasswort. The Conversation, oregonlive, 22 Aug. 2022 While seafood is still the specialty, Kalypso emphasizes more elaborate dishes, like octopus tacos with spicy mayonnaise or mackerel with salsa verde and succulent glasswort. Caitlin Raux Gunther, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Sep. 2022 Although low in nutrients, the glasswort’s fleshy, succulent sap is filled with water that’s rich in salt, at concentrations as high as what’s found in seawater. The Conversation, oregonlive, 22 Aug. 2022 Yet until recently, sea beans, which belong to the genus Salicornia and are also known as samphire, glasswort, pickleweed, and sea asparagus, had never figured prominently in Charleston’s storied culinary traditions. Caroline Hatchett, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2021 Jéremie had pushed for—sampling burrata with raspberry powder, white beans with lemon zest and olive oil, smoked Saint-Jacques with yuzu pearls, glasswort with cranberries, and a baby suckling lamb. Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 30 Sep. 2017

Word History

Etymology

from its former use in the manufacture of glass

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of glasswort was in 1597

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Cite this Entry

“Glasswort.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glasswort. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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