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Glite Dictionary
Manilla hemp

Manilla hemp

7.4
A strong natural fiber from the abaca plant that people use to make ropes
  • noun
  • /məˈnɪlə hɛmp/
  • Philippine
translation icon : cáñamo de Manila
  • Ropes made of Manilla hemp are prized for their strength and resistance to saltwater.

Examples

  • The ship was equipped with sturdy cables woven from Manilla hemp.

  • The company produces high-quality Manilla hemp ropes.

  • Farmers in the Philippines cultivate abaca to produce Manilla hemp for export.

  • Is Manilla hemp used for making bags?

  • Farmers in the Philippines cultivate abaca to produce Manilla hemp for export.

  • Ropes made of Manilla hemp are prized for their strength and resistance to saltwater.

  • The ship was equipped with sturdy cables woven from Manilla hemp.

Synonyms

abaca
vsManilla hemp
  • Philippine
1 9.9

Strong fiber from the leaf stalks of a Philippine banana plant used for ropes and paper

is described as from the plant generally not only the leaf stalks
Manila hemp
vsManilla hemp
7.2

A strong flexible fiber from the abaca plant used to make rope and paper

is the same fiber but spelled with a different letter

Surface Forms

Manilla hemp singular
Manilla hemps plural

Morphology

Manilla + hemp

The phrase is a straightforward place-name + noun combination: a B1 learner who knows 'Manilla' as a place/name and 'hemp' as a fiber will naturally infer it denotes a type of hemp associated with Manilla (i.e., hemp from/linked to that place). Although the input shows 'Manilla' missing from the dictionary and there is a botanical nuance (Manila/Manilla hemp refers to abaca rather than true hemp) this distinction is specialist; the basic compositional meaning is transparent to learners who know the constituents.

Etymology

Manilla hemp comes from the city Manilla in the Philippines and the word hemp for a strong plant fiber. Imagine sailors and rope makers using thick ropes made from a local plant near Manilla; the very strong ropes gave the name to the fiber, so the term means 'a strong, durable fiber used for ropes'.