samphire

noun

sam·​phire ˈsam-ˌfī(-ə)r 

1

: a fleshy European seacoast plant (Crithmum maritimum) of the carrot family that is sometimes pickled

2

: a common glasswort (Salicornia europaea) that is sometimes pickled

Examples of samphire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From the west, for instance, the Salt Bae includes samphire (salty succulents found along the coast), while the Something Corny? —Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 27 Dec. 2024

If dining en famille, order a round of Fish Shop Negronis (local gin and vermouth with Campari and pimped up with samphire), followed by glasses of Riesling or Picpoul. —Sarah James, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Mar. 2024

Guests arrived by mahogany Venetian boats where they were greeted with champagne before a three-course dinner of tomato steak salad with samphire and pumpkin seed sauce, ricotta and spinach mezzelune with aged parmesan, plus scallops with a pistachio sauce and potato puree. —Emily Strohm, Peoplemag, 28 June 2023

The ingredients are over 99 percent natural and include things like organic rock samphire, biotechnological lingonberry extract, wild harvested dulse algae extract and organic birch sap. —WSJ, 25 Aug. 2022

Minke Gin is the first-ever product containing rock samphire to be imported to the country. —Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes, 11 June 2022

Next, at the beach, take a seaweed walk alongside seals and sea birds and learn how to traditionally harvest seaweed, rock samphire and pepper dulse. —Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Feb. 2022

Sea urchin bruschetta with taramasalata and samphire with black rock salt are served quayside by a polished crew. —Rachel Howard, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2021

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

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier sampiere, from Middle French (herbe de) Saint Pierre, literally, St. Peter's herb

First Known Use

1545, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for samphire

• admire
• afire
• aspire
• backfire
• esquire
• expire
• haywire
• hellfire
• inquire
• inspire
• newswire
• perspire