Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sargasso

/sɑɹˈɡæsoʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.06 in modern English

Syllables
sar-gas-so
IPA
/sɑɹˈɡæsoʊ/
9
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A brown alga, of the genus Sargassum, that forms large, floating masses.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Also Sargasso: a confused, tangled mass or situation.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A part of an ocean or sea characterized by floating masses of sargassos, like the Sargasso Sea.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Alternative letter-case form of sargasso (“a confused, tangled mass or situation”).

Example Sentences

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: sargaço, salicastrum, *sl̥H-ik-

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /sɑɹˈɡæsoʊ/
  • British English: /sɑːˈɡæsəʊ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

sargassos (plural) sargassoes (plural) the Sargasso (canonical)

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce sargasso?
The recorded pronunciation is /sɑɹˈɡæsoʊ/.
What does sargasso mean?
A brown alga, of the genus Sargassum, that forms large, floating masses.
Where does sargasso come from?
It is traced to Portuguese.

How to pronounce sargasso

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “sargasso”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/sɑɹˈɡæsoʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “sargasso”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “sargasso” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.