: any of a division (Phaeophyta) of variable mostly marine algae with chlorophyll masked by brown pigment
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe seaweed known as Saccharina latissima, or sugar kelp, is a yellowish brown alga that grows along rocky coastlines. Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 July 2022
Word History
First Known Use
1780, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
brown alga
noun
: any of a division (Phaeophyta) of variable mostly marine algae (as a laminaria) with chlorophyll masked by brown pigment see algin, laminarin