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Glite Dictionary
Agave tequilana

Agave tequilana

7.5
A blue agave plant from Mexico grown to make tequila
  • noun
  • /əˈɡɑːveɪ tɛˈkiːlənə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : agave tequilana
  • Tequila can only be produced from the Agave tequilana species by law.

Examples

  • The blue Agave tequilana is an essential crop in the Mexican state of Jalisco.

  • Many distilleries use Agave tequilana to produce high-quality tequila.

  • Farmers carefully harvest Agave tequilana plants once they reach maturity.

  • The Agave tequilana plant is essential for making tequila.

  • Farmers carefully harvest Agave tequilana plants once they reach maturity.

  • Tequila can only be produced from the Agave tequilana species by law.

  • The blue Agave tequilana is an essential crop in the Mexican state of Jalisco.

Surface Forms

Agave tequilana singular
Agave tequilanus plural

Morphology

Agave + tequilana

This is a Latin binomial combining the genus name 'Agave' (a succulent plant) with the specific epithet 'tequilana', which transparently signals an association with tequila/Tequila. A B1 learner who knows 'agave' and recognizes the root 'tequila' can plausibly infer it denotes the agave used for tequila, but the epithet is not a regular English word and understanding also depends on familiarity with scientific naming conventions, so the relation is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Agave tequilana is named for the part tequilana, which comes from the town of Tequila in Mexico. People there cook the blue agave heart to make the drink 'tequila', so this species is the one used to produce 'tequila' today.