samphire means one of several salt-tolerant plants, some edible; Plants of genus Salicornia (syn. Salicornia). It carries an Arena rating of 1584, earned across 11 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, samphire ranks #303 of 13,223 for Most Beautiful Words, #618 of 13,223 for Funniest Words, #750 of 13,223 for Most Whimsical Words, #772 of 13,223 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
samphire is pronounced /ˈsæm.faɪ.ə(ɹ)/.
Why “samphire” is a great word
A fleshy, salt-tolerant coastal flowering plant, some species of which are edible, thriving in the harsh margins between land and sea. Its name derives from the earlier 'sampiere,' from Middle French *herbe de Saint Pierre*, meaning '(herb of) Saint Peter,' the patron saint of fishermen. Unlike 'glasswort,' which specifically denotes the soda-ash yielding *Salicornia*, or 'seaweed,' which refers to non-flowering marine algae, samphire is a vascular plant that clings tenaciously to rocks and mud. It is the vivid, saline crunch of a green garnish, the low, rubbery mat greying the salt marsh, and the perilous harvest from crumbling chalk cliffs—a humble, enduring life fashioned from spray and stone.
Etymology
Originally sampiere, from French Saint Pierre (Saint Peter), the patron saint of fishermen who often harvested the plant.
noun
- One of several salt-tolerant plants, some edible; Plants of genus Salicornia (syn. Salicornia)
- One of several salt-tolerant plants, some edible; Plants of genus Salicornia (syn. Salicornia); Marsh samphire, glasswort, pickleweed (Salicornia europaea), a plant once burned to produce ash used to make soda glass.
- One of several salt-tolerant plants, some edible; Rock samphire (Crithmum maritimum).
- One of several salt-tolerant plants, some edible; Golden samphire (Limbarda crithmoides, syn. Inula crithmoides).
- One of several salt-tolerant plants, some edible; Borrichia arborescens (tree seaside tansy) of the West Indies.
- One of several salt-tolerant plants, some edible; Any plant of species Blutaparon vermiculare
- One of several salt-tolerant plants, some edible; Plants of genus Tecticornia
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- saxifrage 79% match — Any plant in the genus Saxifraga. vs samphire →
- eryngo 78% match — The root of sea holly, Eryngium maritimum, formerly candied and taken as confectionery and held to have aphrodisiac properties. vs samphire →
- sueda 77% match — An area with a dense covering of plants of the genus Suaeda, family Amaranthaceae; such plants collectively; seepweed. vs samphire →
- celandine 76% match — Any plant of the genus Chelidonium. vs samphire →
- nightshade 76% match — Any of the poisonous plants belonging to the genus Solanum, especially black nightshade or woody nightshade. vs samphire →
- littoral 76% match — Of or relating to the shore, especially the seashore. vs samphire →
- seawrack 76% match — Masses of seaweed washed ashore and in piles along a shore, predominantly algae of family Fucaceae. vs samphire →
- tidewrack 76% match — Seaweed and similar marine vegetation and rubbish deposited along a shore by a receding tide. vs samphire →