sea cliff noun

A cliff fronting or formed by the sea

sea coal noun (archaic)

Coal in the ordinary sense, mineral coal not charcoal (possibly as first worked where exposed by the sea)

seaˈcoast noun

The land adjacent to the sea

sea cob noun

Another name for a seagull

seaˈcock noun

1. A gurnard, a type of fish
2. A valve communicating with the sea through a vessel's hull
3. A bold sea rover

sea colewort noun

1. Sea kale
2. Wild cabbage

sea cook noun

A ship's cook (son of a sea cook being an abusive designation)

sea cow noun

1. The walrus (archaic)
2. Any sirenian, such as the dugong or manatee
3. Formerly, the hippopotamus (S Afr; Du zeekoe)

seaˈcraft noun

1. Skill in navigation
2. Seamanship
3. Any seagoing craft

sea crow noun

A name of many birds, such as the skua, chough, cormorant

sea cucumber noun

Any burrowing echinoderm of the class Holothuroidea, with an elongated cucumber-like body

sea dace noun

The bass

sea devil noun

The devilfish (qv)

sea dog noun

1. An old or experienced sailor
2. A pirate
3. A dogfish
4. The common or harbour seal (old)
5. A beast like a talbot with a dorsal fin and beaver's tail (heraldry)
6. A luminous appearance over the horizon, presaging bad weather (cf fog-bow, fog-dog)

sea dotterel noun

Another name for the turnstone

sea dove noun

Another name for the little auk

sea dragon noun

Any of various fishes, eg the dragonet and types of seahorse

seaˈdrome noun

A floating aerodrome

sea duck noun

Any duck of the pochard group

sea dust noun

Dust deposited on the sea from a distant land

sea eagle noun

Any of several fish-eating eagles that live near the sea, such as Haliaetus albicilla the white-tailed eagle

sea ear noun

An ormer (genus Haliotis)

sea eel noun

A conger

sea egg noun

A sea urchin

sea elephant noun

The elephant seal

sea fan noun

An alcyonarian coral with a fan-like skeleton

seaˈfarer noun

A traveller by sea, usu a sailor

seaˈfaring noun and adjective

sea feather noun

A feathery alcyonarian, the sea pen

seaˈ-fight noun

A battle between ships at sea

sea fir noun

A hydroid whose delicate branched structure resembles a fir

seaˈ-fire noun

Phosphorescence at sea

sea fish noun

Any salt-water or marine fish

seaˈ-fishˈer noun

seaˈ-fishˈing noun

sea floor noun

The bottom of the sea

sea-floor spreading noun (geology)

The process by which new oceanic crust is generated at oceanic ridges by the convective upswelling of magma

sea foam noun

The froth on the sea formed by the action of the waves

sea fog noun

A fog on, or coming from, the sea

seaˈfolk plural noun

Seafaring people

seaˈfood noun

Food got from the sea, esp shellfish

seaˈfowl noun

A seabird

sea fox noun

Another name for the thresher, or foxshark

sea fret noun

A fog coming inland off the sea

seaˈfront noun

1. The side of the land, of a town, or of a building that looks towards the sea
2. A promenade with its buildings fronting the sea

sea froth noun

1. The foam of the sea
2. Formerly, meerschaum

sea furbelow noun

A brown seaweed (genus Saccorhiza) with a bulb of tentacular outgrowths above the primary holdfast

sea gate noun

1. A seaward gate of a tidal basin, etc
2. An outlet to the sea

sea gherkin noun

The sea cucumber, Cucumaria saxicola

sea gillyflower noun

Thrift

sea ginger noun

Millepore coral

sea girdle noun

A coarse seaweed, esp Laminaria digitata

seaˈ-girt adjective (literary and poetic)

Surrounded by sea

sea god or sea goddess noun

A god or goddess ruling over or dwelling in the sea

seaˈ-going adjective

1. Sailing on the seas
2. Designed or suitable for deep-sea voyages

sea gooseberry noun

A common ctenophore, Pleurobranchia pileus, like a gooseberry in shape

sea gown noun (Shakespeare)

A short-sleeved garment worn at sea

sea grape noun

1. Any plant of the genus Ephedra, or its fruit
2. Seaside grape
3. Another name for glasswort
4. Gulfweed
5. (in pl) cuttlefish eggs in masses

sea grass noun

A grass or grasslike plant growing by or in the sea, eg Enteromorpha, thrift, grasswrack, etc

sea green noun

The bluish-green colour of some seas

sea-greenˈ adjective

sea-green incorruptible noun

A person sincerely and unshakably devoted to an ideal or purpose, esp in public life (orig used by Carlyle of Robespierre)

seaˈgull noun

1. A gull
2. A casual dock-labourer not yet admitted to a union (Aust and NZ)
3. A rugby player who hovers around the periphery of play waiting for the ball (NZ)

sea haar noun

A haar (qv)

sea hare noun

A tectibranch gastropod, Aplysia punctata, with ear-like tentacles

seaˈhawk noun

A skua

sea heath noun

A wiry heath-like pink-flowered plant (Frankenia laevis) of salt marshes and chalk cliffs

sea hedgehog noun

1. A sea urchin
2. A globe fish

seaˈhog noun

A porpoise

sea holly noun

A European plant, Eryngium maritimum, with spiny stems, that grows on seashores

seaˈhorse noun

1. Any marine fish of the genus Hippocampus with a prehensile tail and a horselike head, that swims in an upright position
2. The fabulous hippocampus, a sea monster with the head and body of a horse and the tail of a fish
3. The walrus (archaic)
4. The hippopotamus (obsolete)

seaˈhound noun

A dogfish

sea ice noun

seaˈ-island adjective

(of cotton) of the kind grown on the islands off the coast of South Carolina

sea ivory noun

A lichen, Ramalina siliquosa, found on sea cliffs

sea jelly noun

A jellyfish

seaˈkale noun

A fleshy, sea-green cruciferous seaside plant (Crambe maritima) cultivated for its blanched sprouts, eaten as food

seakale beet noun

Another name for chard

seaˈkeeping noun

Maintenance of navigational control and stability, esp in rough seas

sea king noun

1. A Viking chief who led raids on the coastal areas of Europe
2. A king of the merfolk
3. Poseidon or Neptune

sea lace noun

A brown seaweed, Chorda filum

sea lane noun

1. A navigable passage, delineated on charts, etc, between islands, ships, ice-floes, etc
2. An established route taken by ships at sea

sea lark noun

1. Any of various shore birds, eg the sandpiper
2. The rock pipit

sea lavender noun

A salt-marsh plant of the plumbaginaceous genus Limonium

sea law noun

Maritime law, esp medieval customary law

sea lawyer noun (naut sl)

1. A (low-ranking) sailor versed in the intricacies of maritime law, disputatiously standing on his rights, or finding fault with his superiors' decisions
2. A shark

sea legs plural noun

1. Ability to walk on a ship's deck when it is pitching
2. Resistance to seasickness

sea lemon noun

A type of sea slug, Archidoris pseudoargus, with a warty yellowish body

sea lentil noun

Gulfweed

sea leopard noun

A spotted seal of the southern seas, esp of the genus Ogmorhinus

sea letter or sea brief noun

1. Formerly, a document listing a ship's place of origin and her cargo
2. A document issued to a neutral merchant vessel in wartime, allowing it to pass freely (also sea pass or passport)

sea lettuce noun

A seaweed, Ulva lactuca, with flat translucent green fronds, green laver (see under laver¹)

sea level noun

The mean level of the surface of the sea

sea lily see crinoid

seaˈline noun

1. A coastline
2. The sea horizon

sea lion noun

1. A seal with external ears and with hind flippers turned forward
2. A lion with the tail of a fish (heraldry)

sea loach noun

A rockling

sea loch noun (Scot)

A lakelike arm of the sea

sea longworm noun

A nemertean worm (genus Lineus)

sea lord noun

(often with caps) a naval member of the Board of Admiralty, a division of the Ministry of Defence

sea lung noun

A ctenophoran

seaˈmaid noun (Shakespeare)

A mermaid

seaˈman noun

1. A sailor
2. A man, other than an officer or apprentice, employed aboard ship
3. A merman

seaˈmanlike adjective

Showing good seamanship

seaˈmanly adjective

Characteristic of a seaman

seaˈmanship noun

The art of handling ships at sea

sea marge or sea margin noun

The shoreline

seaˈmark noun

1. A mark of tidal limit
2. Any object serving as a guide to those at sea

sea mat noun

Hornwrack (genus Flustra), a common polyzoan like a flat horny seaweed

sea maw noun (now Scot)

A sea mew

sea mell noun an alleged variant of sea mew

sea mew noun

Any gull

sea mile noun

A geographical or nautical mile

sea milkwort noun

A primulaceous plant, Glaux maritima, of northern seashores, having small pink flowers

sea monster noun

Any huge maritime animal, esp fabulous

sea moss noun

1. Carrageen
2. Seaweed

seaˈmount noun

A mountain under the sea of at least 3000ft

sea mouse noun

An elliptical polychaete, Aphrodite aculeata, with coarse iridescent hairs and bristles along its sides

sea nettle noun

A jellyfish

sea nymph noun

A minor sea goddess

sea onion noun

The sea squill

sea orange noun

A large globose orange-coloured sponge (also called sulphur sponge)

sea otter noun

1. A N Pacific animal (Enhydris lutris) related to the true otters
2. Its silvery-brown fur, largely unobtainable since the widespread ban on otter-hunting

sea owl noun

The lumpsucker

sea parrot noun

Another name for the puffin

sea pass see sea letter above.

sea passage noun

(the cost of) a journey by sea

sea pen noun

1. A featherlike anthozoan coelenterate (esp Pennatula)
2. A name for the squid's internal shell

sea perch noun

A bass or other fish of the Serranidae

sea pie noun

1. A baked dish of salt meat and vegetables eaten at sea
2. The oyster-catcher

sea piece noun

A picture, poem or piece of music representing (a scene at) sea

seaˈ-pig noun

1. A porpoise
2. A dolphin
3. A dugong

sea pike noun

A pike-like marine fish of various kinds, eg robalo or hake

sea pink noun

Any of several perennial plants generally known as thrift

seaˈplane noun

An aeroplane with floats instead of wheels, for landing on water

sea poacher noun

The pogge

sea porcupine noun

Another name for the globe fish (genus Diodon)

seaˈport noun

1. A port or harbour on the sea
2. A place with such a harbour

sea potato noun

Another name for the heart urchin, Echinocardium cordatum

sea power noun

1. Naval strength
2. A nation with great naval strength

sea purse noun

1. The tough horny egg case of certain sharks, skates or rays, a mermaid's purse
2. A small whirlpool formed by the meeting of two waves at an angle, dangerous to bathers (US)

sea purslane see under purslane

seaˈquake noun

A seismic disturbance at sea

seaquaˈrium see oceanarium under ocean

sea ranger noun

In the Guide organization, a ranger who trains specially in seamanship and related matters

seaˈrat noun

A pirate

sea raven noun

A large fish, Hemitripterus americanus, related to the bullhead

sea reed noun

Marram grass

sea road noun

A designated route followed by ships, a sea lane

sea robber noun

A pirate

sea robin noun

An American fish (esp of the genus Prionotus) of the gurnard family, with red or brown colouring

sea rocket noun

A fleshy cruciferous seaside plant (genus Cakile)

sea room noun

Space to manoeuvre a ship safely

sea rosemary noun

Sea lavender

sea rover noun

A pirate or pirate ship

seaˈ-roving noun

Piracy

sea salmon noun

Inaptly, coalfish or pollack

sea salt noun

Salt derived from seawater

adjective

As salty as the sea

sea sand noun

sea satyre noun

A Spenserian sea monster

seaˈscape noun

A painting, photograph, etc of the sea

sea scorpion noun

1. A scorpion-fish, having a spiny head and fins
2. Another name for the father-lasher (Cottus scorpius)

Sea Scout noun

A member of a marine branch of the Scout movement

sea serpent noun (mythology)

1. An enormous marine animal of serpent-like form frequently seen and described by credulous sailors, imaginative landsmen and common liars
2. A sea snake

sea shanty same as shanty²

seaˈshell noun

The shell of a crustacean or mollusc

seaˈshore noun

1. The land immediately adjacent to the sea
2. The foreshore (law)

sea shrub noun

A sea fan

seaˈsick adjective

1. Nauseous owing to the rolling movement of a vessel at sea
2. Travel-worn (Shakespeare)

seaˈsickness noun

seaˈside noun

Any area that borders the sea, esp one popular as a holiday resort (also adjective)

seaside grape noun

The grape tree (genus Coccoloba) or its fruit

sea slater noun

A small crustacean, Ligia oceanica, resembling a woodlouse

sea sleeve noun

A cuttlefish

sea slug noun

1. A type of shell-less marine mollusc, a nudibranch
2. A sea cucumber

sea snail noun

1. Any snail-like marine gastropod
2. An unctuous fish (genus Liparis) related to the lumpsucker

sea snake noun

1. A snake that lives in the sea, esp of the very venomous family Hydrophidae of the Indian and Pacific oceans
2. A sea serpent

sea snipe noun

The sandpiper

seaˈspeak noun

(also with cap) a variety of English of restricted unambiguous vocabulary, used by mariners, navigators, etc for communication

sea spider noun

A pycnogonid

sea squill noun

A Mediterranean plant, Urginea maritima, of the lily family with an onion-like bulb, sea onion

sea squirt noun

A marine animal shaped like a double-mouthed flask, an ascidian

sea star noun

A starfish

sea stick noun

A herring cured at sea

sea storm noun

sea strand noun

sea surgeon noun

A tropical genus (Acanthurus) of spiny-finned fishes with a lancetlike spine ensheathed on each side of the tail

sea swallow noun

1. A tern
2. The storm petrel
3. A flying fish

sea swine noun

1. A porpoise
2. The ballanwrasse

sea tangle noun

Any of various kinds of brown seaweed, esp of the genus Laminaria

sea term noun

A nautical word

sea trout noun

1. The salmon trout (Salmo trutta)
2. Extended to various other fishes of the genus Cynoscion, of US coastal waters

sea turn noun

A gale from the sea

sea turtle noun

1. A marine turtle
2. The black guillemot

sea unicorn noun

A former name for the narwhal

sea urchin noun

One of the Echinoidea, a class of echinoderms with a globular, ovoid, or heart-shaped, sometimes flattened body and shell of calcareous plates, without arms

sea vampire noun

A giant ray, or devilfish

sea view noun

1. A view of the sea
2. A seascape

sea wall noun

A wall to keep out the sea

seaˈ-walled adjective

Walled against or by the sea

seaˈware noun

Seaweed

sea wasp noun

A jellyfish of the class Cubozoa with a highly venomous sting

seaˈwater noun

Water of or from the sea

sea wave noun

seaˈway noun

1. Progress through the waves
2. A heavy sea
3. A regular route taken by ocean traffic
4. An inland waterway on which ocean-going vessels can sail

seaˈweed noun

1. Marine algae collectively
2. Any marine alga

sea whistle noun

A seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) whose bladders can be made into whistles

seaˈwife noun

A kind of wrasse

sea wind noun

sea wing noun

A sail

sea wolf noun

1. The wolffish (also loup de mer /loo-də-mer/)
2. The bass
3. The sea elephant (obsolete)
4. A Viking
5. A pirate

seaˈwoman noun

A mermaid

seaˈworm noun

Any marine worm

seaˈ-worn adjective

Worn by the sea or by seafaring

sea wrack noun

1. Coarse seaweeds of any kind
2. Grasswrack

all at sea

1. Totally disorganized
2. Completely at a loss

at full sea

At full tide

at sea

1. Away from land
2. On the ocean
3. Disorganized, bewildered

follow the sea or go to sea

To become a sailor

heavy sea

A sea in which the waves run high

molten sea (Bible)

The brazen laver in 1 Kings 7.23–26

short sea

A sea in which the waves are choppy, irregular, and interrupted

the four seas

Those bounding Great Britain

the Seven Seas see under seven