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Glite Dictionary
Agave sisalana

Agave sisalana

8.6
A plant with thick, long leaves that give strong fibers used to make rope
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : agave sisalana
  • The Agave sisalana plant thrives in dry climates.

Examples

  • Farmers in Mexico and Africa have large plantations of Agave sisalana to support the fiber industry.

  • Agave sisalana is widely cultivated in tropical regions for its valuable sisal fiber.

  • The stiff leaves of Agave sisalana are processed to produce rope and twine.

  • Farmers often cultivate Agave sisalana for its fibers.

  • The workers used Agave sisalana fibers to create strong ropes for fishing nets.

  • In her crafts class, she learned how to weave baskets using strands of Agave sisalana.

  • The leaves of Agave sisalana are harvested to produce a durable fiber for various products.

Synonyms

sisal
vsAgave sisalana
  • Specialized
2 7.7

A tropical plant with long leaves that gives a strong natural fiber used to make rope and mats

is specific to Mexican or West Indian origin rather than a general tropical category

Surface Forms

Agave sisalana singular
Agave sisalanas plural

Morphology

agave + sisalana

The first element 'agave' is transparent — a B1 learner who knows that word will recognize this as a type of agave plant. However, 'sisalana' is a Latin species epithet and not a meaningful English word, so the specific properties (e.g. yielding sisal fiber) are not derivable from the constituents; overall the phrase signals a kind of agave but not its full meaning.

Etymology

Agave sisalana is a plant with long, stiff leaves that people scrape to pull out strong 'sisal' fiber used to make 'rope' and 'twine'. So, the name brings to mind the plant grown for its tough natural fibers.