kelp Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun large brown seaweeds having fluted leathery fronds

WordNet

Kelp noun
Etymology
Formerly kilpe; of unknown origin.
Definitions
  1. The calcined ashes of seaweed, -- formerly much used in the manufacture of glass, now used in the manufacture of iodine.
  2. (Bot.) Any large blackish seaweed. ✍ Laminaria is the common kelp of Great Britain; Macrocystis pyrifera and Nereocystis Lutkeana are the great kelps of the Pacific Ocean.

Webster 1913