# sargasso

> English word · Noun · IPA /sɑːˈɡæsəʊ/ · frequency rank #88,811

## Definitions
1. A brown alga, of the genus Sargassum, that forms large, floating masses.
2. Also Sargasso: a confused, tangled mass or situation.
3. A part of an ocean or sea characterized by floating masses of sargassos, like the Sargasso Sea.

## Etymology
From Portuguese sargaço (“(originally) the Lisbon false sun-rose or woolly rock rose (Halimium lasianthum); (now) gulfweed, sargasso”), ultimately from Latin salicastrum (“kind of wild vine found in willow-thickets”), from salix (“plant of the genus Salix; willow”) + -astrum (suffix forming nouns expressing incomplete resemblance). Salix is derived from Proto-Indo-European *sl̥H-ik- (“willow”). The English word is cognate with French sargasse, Spanish sargazo. The capitalized form of sense 2 (“a confused, tangled mass or situation”), Sargasso, is probably a reference to the Sargasso Sea.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sargasso