kelp
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kelp¹
- /kɛlp/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɛlp
Where it comes from
Inherited from Middle English *kelpe, culpe, *kilpe (Early Modern English kilpe), of unclear origin, though the attested forms point to Old English *cylp, possibly from Proto-West Germanic *kulpi, from Proto-Germanic *kulpiz (“lump, boll”, referencing the airsacks of species such as bladderwrack and knotweed), potentially a substrate term connected to Latin globus (“globe”) and Proto-Germanic *klumpô (“clump”).
If the above theory is accepted, cognate with Low German Kulp, Külp, Kulpe (“lump in the eye, ball, thick nose”), Norwegian Nynorsk kulp (“short tube”), and Swedish kulp (“stout person”); further compare Bavarian Kolpel (“lump of stone”), Icelandic kúlpa (“to protrude”), Low German kulpen, külpen (“to pile up”), Low German Kulpogen (“large eye”), and West Frisian kolpje (“to pout”).
noun kelps
-
Any of several large brown algae seaweeds (especially of order Laminariales).
Underneath the area demarcated by the buoys, Ms Puckett plants kelp—a type of seaweed—on long ropes that resemble washing lines.
Similar: oyster grass
- The calcined ashes of seaweed, formerly used in glass and iodine manufacture.
verb kelps · kelping · kelped
- To gather kelp. Just before we reached Seward the pilot got a radio message that a fishing boat in Thumb Cove had some kelp […] Neither of us had ever kelped before but there wasn't much to it, and we started bringing in full boxes back to Eads' barge.
kelp²
- /kɛlp/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɛlp
Where it comes from
From Middle English kelpe, kylpe, from Old Norse kilpr (“the handle of a vessel, loop”). Related to Old Norse kelpa (“otter trap”).
noun kelps
- A hook or crook by which a pot is hung over a fire.
- A sheath.
Translations
Every language
noun large seaweed of order Laminariales
| Español | quelpo, kelp |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 다시마 dasima, 켈프 kelpeu |
| 日本語 | 昆布, コンブ konbu |
| 中文 | 海帶 /海带 hǎidài, 昆布 kūnbù |
| Português | alga marinha |
| Français | laminaire, kelp, goémon, varech |
| Deutsch | Seetang, Tang, Kelp |
| Română | laminaria, varec |
| Русский | бу́рая во́доросль búraja vódoroslʹ, ламина́рия laminárija |
| Tiếng Việt | tảo bẹ |
Talk about this word "kelp." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/kelp. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. kelp. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/kelp "kelp." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/kelp.Cite this
@misc{kelp_2026,
title = {kelp},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/kelp},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
