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Glite Dictionary
🧵 A strong fiber 🌱 A banana plant
abaca

abaca

9.9
A Philippine banana plant whose leaf stalks give fiber for ropes and paper
  • noun
  • /əˈbɑːkə/
  • Philippine
translation icon : abacá
  • Abaca fibers are often used in high-quality paper production due to their strength and flexibility.

Examples

  • The artisan wove a beautiful rug using abaca, showcasing its durability and texture.

  • Sugar cane, coconuts, tobacco, and abaca increased as major exports, while rice production declined.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Farmers in the Philippines cultivate abaca to produce the strong fibers used in making ropes.

Synonyms

Musa textilis
vsabaca
  • Specialized
9.8

A banana plant from the Philippines with strong leaf stalks used to make rope and paper

is the common local name rather than the scientific label
Manila hemp
vsabaca
7.0

A tall plant from the Philippines whose leaf stalks give strong fiber for rope, paper, and textiles

names the plant species rather than focusing on its fiber product

Surface Forms

abaca singular
abacas plural

Etymology

Abaca comes from a Philippine word abaka meaning 'banana-like plant', and the Spanish form abacá brought the name into English. So abaca refers to the plant whose leaf stalks give the very strong fibres used for rope and paper.