seaweed

/ˌsiˈwid/

/ˈsiwid/

Other forms: seaweeds

What is a type of algae that we sometimes eat? Seaweed! Yes, if you have ever eaten a sushi roll, you've most likely eaten seaweed.

If you've ever been to the beach, you've seen seaweed on the sand and growing from rocks in and near the water. Seaweed can be classified as red, brown, or green algae, and many types are harvested and used for food. In sushi, rice and fish are wrapped in seaweed, and another seaweed, called carrageenan, is a common additive that thickens foods like ice cream and yogurt and products like toothpaste.

Definitions of seaweed

1. noun

   plant growing in the sea, especially marine algae
   types:

   arame

   an edible seaweed with a mild flavor

   wrack

   dried seaweed especially that cast ashore

   seagrass

   any of various seaweeds that grow underwater in shallow beds

   sea wrack, wrack

   growth of marine vegetation especially of the large forms such as rockweeds and kelp

   sea tang, tang

   any of various coarse seaweeds

   type of:

   alga, algae

   primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stems and roots and leaves