Spanish Conversation · Level 116
60 words
Spanish word
alga
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈalɣa/
Meaning
- feminine nounseaweed
Example
En la playa vi un alga.
On the beach I saw a piece of seaweed.
More examples
Compré alga comestible para una ensalada.
I bought edible seaweed for a salad.
Core concept
Sheets and ribbons of seaweed forming carpets over rocks and the sea surface.
Common phrases
alga comestible
edible seaweed
alga marina
marine seaweed
Similar words
alga comestible: Seaweed harvested or prepared for eating, often identified by variety such as nori or wakame.
sargazo: Large seaweed that floats together in dense mats or rafts on the ocean surface.
alga marina: Seaweed that lives in the ocean and other saltwater environments.
Definition in Spanish
Organismos fotosintéticos que viven en el agua y forman masas o tapices sobre rocas y la superficie marina, usados también en algunas cocinas como alimento.
Word origin
The Spanish word comes from Latin alga and passed into medieval Iberian speech as the general name for marine algae, a sense preserved in modern Spanish.
Usage tips
- When referring to food, speakers may say algas comestibles or algas marinas and may add a species name such as nori or wakame to make clear which edible seaweed is meant.