sargassum

noun

sar·​gas·​sum sär-ˈga-səm How to pronounce sargassum (audio)
: any of a genus (Sargassum) of brown algae that have a branching thallus with lateral outgrowths differentiated as leafy segments, air bladders, or spore-bearing structures : gulfweed

Examples of sargassum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Instead, target these abundant and hungry pelagic fish by trolling in areas with clear water, and focus on floating structure like sargassum and kelp paddies, oil rigs, and even floating ocean debris. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 19 Sep. 2024 Franziska Elmer is hoping for better luck with sargassum, a seaweed that naturally blankets parts of the central Atlantic in spring and summer and is more tolerant of low-iron environments. Bywarren Cornwall, science.org, 29 Aug. 2024 In the Pacific, mats of kelp that breaks free inshore and float in knotted kelp paddies have the same effect as sargassum mats. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 19 Sep. 2024 In 2023 the company began to experiment with corralling sargassum inside a 150-square-meter pen in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a small island nation on the eastern edge of the Caribbean. Bywarren Cornwall, science.org, 29 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sargassum 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, borrowed from Portuguese sargaço sargasso

First Known Use

circa 1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sargassum was circa 1890

Dictionary Entries Near sargassum

Cite this Entry

“Sargassum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sargassum. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

sargassum

noun
sar·​gas·​sum sär-ˈgas-əm How to pronounce sargassum (audio)
: any of a genus of brown algae that have a leafy branching body and air bladders and that often grow in free-floating masses in the ocean

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