rockweed

noun

rock·​weed ˈräk-ˌwēd How to pronounce rockweed (audio)
: any of various coarse brown algae (order Fucales, especially genera Fucus, Ascophyllum, and Silvetia) growing in marine environments free-floating or attached to rocks

Examples of rockweed 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.
In one, the boulder boasts a thick topper of rockweed. J. Besl, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 June 2023 Her group was about to launch a restoration project for the olive rockweed, a species endemic to Laguna found nowhere else south of Santa Barbara. Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2021 Wild harvesters typically bring in 14 to 20 million pounds of rockweed in a year. BostonGlobe.com, 1 May 2021 The state’s seaweed industry also includes a wild harvest of rockweed, which is used for livestock feed and fertilizers. From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2020 Marley waded into the water in search of golden rockweed. Sharon Boorstin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2020 Maine’s rockweed industry hinged on a similarly liberal interpretation of the ancient colonial rules. Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian, 31 May 2018 This seaweed struggle, and the fate of A. nodosum itself, hinges on a single question, patently absurd yet bizarrely complex: is rockweed, in defiance of logic and biology, really a fish? Michelle Weber, Longreads, 1 June 2018 But rockweed does not fit easily into existing categories. Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian, 31 May 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rockweed was in 1583

Dictionary Entries Near rockweed

Cite this Entry

“Rockweed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rockweed. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

rockweed

noun
rock·​weed ˈräk-ˌwēd How to pronounce rockweed (audio)
: any of various brown algae commonly growing attached to rocks along shores
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