Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun 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.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A succulent umbelliferous herb, Crithmum maritimum, growing in clefts of rocks close to the sea in western Europe and through the Mediterranean region.
  • noun Borrichia arborescens, a maritime shrub of the West Indies.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A fleshy, suffrutescent, umbelliferous European plant (Crithmum maritimum). It grows among rocks and on cliffs along the seacoast, and is used for pickles.
  • noun The species of glasswort (Salicornia herbacea); -- called in England marsh samphire.
  • noun A seashore shrub (Borrichia arborescens) of the West Indies.
  • noun See under Golden.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun One of several edible plants growing near the sea, including the rock samphire.
  • noun Glasswort, the plant once burned to produce the ash used to make soda glass.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun fleshy maritime plant having fleshy stems with rudimentary scalelike leaves and small spikes of minute flowers; formerly used in making glass

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[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).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Originally sampiere, from French Saint Pierre, the patron saint of fishermen who often harvested the plant.

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Examples

  • Usually served in restaurants under the name samphire, or sea asparagus, salicornia is often served in salads or with seafood (or in England as a side dish, with a little butter and vinegar).

    The Future's Farmer Spangler, Adam 2007

  • Also he ate a little of the bread he had brought with him; and with it some of a brisk juicy herb, called samphire, that sprouted richly in the cliff, which gave his meat an aromatic savour; and with a drink of fresh spring water he dined well, and was content; then he climbed within the cave, and fell asleep to the sound of the wind buffeting in the cliff, and the fall of great waves on the sea beaches.

    Paul the Minstrel and Other Stories Reprinted from The Hill of Trouble and The Isles of Sunset Arthur Christopher Benson 1893

  • Also he ate a little of the bread he had brought with him; and with it some of a brisk juicy herb, called samphire, that sprouted richly in the cliff, which gave his meat an aromatic savour; and with a drink of fresh spring water he dined well, and was content; then he climbed within the cave, and fell asleep to the sound of the wind buffeting in the cliff, and the fall of great waves on the sea beaches.

    The Isles of Sunset Arthur Christopher Benson 1893

  • The spontaneous appearance of a forest of oaks on the eastern shores of Asia was just as probable, under favoring conditions -- though occurring subsequently to the time of their appearance on this continent -- as that of the miniature forests of "samphire," or small saline plants, which spontaneously made their appearance about the salt-works of Syracuse, when conditions actually favored.

    Life: Its True Genesis R. W. Wright

  • "Don't say 'larks!'" implored Amy, as a return snub for the 'samphire' correction.

    Little Women Louisa May Alcott 1860

  • And just last week I made an abalone dish with sea beans samphire, salicornia -- the plant has many names and New Zealand spinach I'd foraged within yards of the shore.

    Stephanie J. Stiavetti: An Interview With Hank Shaw, the Hunter/Angler/Gardener/Cook Stephanie J. Stiavetti 2011

  • And just last week I made an abalone dish with sea beans samphire, salicornia -- the plant has many names and New Zealand spinach I'd foraged within yards of the shore.

    Stephanie J. Stiavetti: An Interview With Hank Shaw, the Hunter/Angler/Gardener/Cook Stephanie J. Stiavetti 2011

  • Maybe it's just me, but I don't know what 'samphire' is.

    Most people wait until they're in the restaurant before looking at the menu. Not me… 2011

  • Sailing and fishing trips can be organised, but the emphasis is on simple pleasures: beachcombing, foraging for berries and samphire, swimming, birdwatching and nature walks.

    Summer holidays: 10 best places for under-fives 2011

  • He held up a jar of dark green pickled samphire leaves: hashishet albahar, hashish-of-the-sea.

    Day of Honey Annia Ciezadlo 2011

Comments

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  • An edible wild plant found in coastal regions of mainland Great Britain. The term samphire is used for several unrelated species of coastal plant.

    In King Lear, Shakespeare refers to the dangerous practice of collecting rock samphire from cliffs:

    "Half-way down, Hangs one that gathers samphire; dreadful trade!"

    October 16, 2007

  • Nice word, sionnach!

    October 16, 2007

  • Fleshy and suffrutescent and umbelliferous, oh my!

    November 17, 2012

  • Wonderful.

    share a website with you,

    -- http://clothes8.us --

    November 17, 2012

  • Usage/historical note can be found in comment on cardoon.

    January 8, 2017