rock tripe


noun

any lichen of the genus Umbilicaria.
Also called tripe-de-roche.

Origin of rock tripe

First recorded in 1850–55; allegedly so called in reference to the appearance of the thallus

Example sentences from the Web for rock tripe

  • There was one cable Burl had missed, hidden by rock-tripe and mould in a depressed part of the cliff-top.

    The Forgotten Planet |Murray Leinster
  • Not even a bit of rock-tripe—in these parts the last resource of starving men—could be met with.

    The Young Voyageurs |Mayne Reid
  • On reaching the rock, they saw what Norman had meant by the words tripe de roche (rock-tripe).

    The Young Voyageurs |Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for rock tripe

rock tripe

noun

Canadian any of various edible lichens, esp of the genus Umbilicaria, that grow on rocks and are used in the North as a survival food