Kelp (?), n. Formerly kilpe; of unknown origin.
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.
Kelp crab Zool., a California spider crab (Epialtus productus), found among seaweeds, which it resembles in color. -- Kelp salmon Zool., a serranoid food fish (Serranus clathratus) of California. See Cabrilla.
© Webster 1913.