samphire
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sam·phire
(săm′fīr′)n.
1. See glasswort.
2. An edible coastal plant (Crithmum maritimum) in the parsley family, native to Eurasia, having fleshy compound leaves and small white flowers grouped in compound umbels, and sometimes pickled.
[Alteration of Early Modern English sampiere, the plant C. maritimum, from French (herbe de) Saint Pierre, (herb of) Saint Peter, after Saint Pierre, Saint Peter, a patron saint of fisherman (the plant being so called because it grows on rocks near the sea, the name perhaps also being influenced by French pierre, rock).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
samphire
(ˈsæmˌfaɪə) orsampire
n
1. (Plants) Also called: rock samphire an umbelliferous plant, Crithmum maritimum, of Eurasian coasts, having fleshy divided leaves and clusters of small greenish-white flowers
2. (Plants) golden samphire a Eurasian coastal plant, Inula crithmoides, with fleshy leaves and yellow flower heads: family Asteraceae (composites)
3. (Plants) another name for glasswort1
4. (Plants) any of several other plants of coastal areas
[C16 sampiere, from French herbe de Saint Pierre Saint Peter's herb; perhaps influenced by camphire camphor]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
sam•phire
(ˈsæm faɪər)n.
1. a European succulent plant, Crithmum maritimum, of the parsley family, having small, whitish flowers and growing in clefts of rock near the sea.
2. glasswort.
[1535–45; earlier sampiere < Middle French (herbe de) Saint Pierre (herb of) Saint Peter]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  samphire - fleshy maritime plant having fleshy stems with rudimentary scalelike leaves and small spikes of minute flowers; formerly used in making glassgenus Salicornia, Salicornia - glassworts herb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests |
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