agave

a·ga·ve  (-gäv, -g-)

n.

Any of numerous plants of the genus Agave, native to hot, dry regions of the New World and having basal rosettes of tough, sword-shaped, often spiny-margined leaves. Agaves are grown for ornament, fiber, and food. Also called century plant.

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[New Latin Agav, genus name, from Greek agau, feminine of agauos, noble.]

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agave [əˈgeɪvɪ ˈægeɪv]

n

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) any plant of the genus Agave, native to tropical America, with tall flower stalks rising from a massive, often armed, rosette of thick fleshy leaves: family Agavaceae. Some species are the source of fibres such as sisal or of alcoholic beverages such as pulque and tequila See also century plant

[New Latin, from Greek agauē, feminine of agauos illustrious, probably alluding to the height of the plant]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

agave - tropical American plants with basal rosettes of fibrous sword-shaped leaves and flowers in tall spikes; some cultivated for ornament or for fiber American aloe, century plant Agavaceae, agave family, family Agavaceae, sisal family - chiefly tropical and xerophytic plants: includes Dracenaceae (Dracaenaceae); comprises plants that in some classifications are divided between the Amaryllidaceae and the Liliaceae Agave americana, American agave - widely cultivated American monocarpic plant with greenish-white flowers on a tall stalk; blooms only after ten to twenty years and then dies Agave sisalana, sisal - Mexican or West Indian plant with large fleshy leaves yielding a stiff fiber used in e.g. rope Agave cantala, cantala, maguey - Philippine plant yielding a hard fibre used in making coarse twine Agave atrovirens, maguey - Mexican plant used especially for making pulque which is the source of the colorless Mexican liquor, mescal Agave tequilana - Mexican plant used especially for making tequila dracaena - an agave that is often cultivated for its decorative foliage Nolina microcarpa, bear grass - stemless plant with tufts of grasslike leaves and erect panicle of minute creamy white flowers; southwestern United States and Mexico sansevieria, bowstring hemp - grown as a houseplant for its mottled fleshy sword-shaped leaves or as a source of fiber desert plant, xerophile, xerophilous plant, xerophyte, xerophytic plant - plant adapted for life with a limited supply of water; compare hydrophyte and mesophyte

Translations

agave [əˈgeɪvɪ] N → agave f, pita f, maguey m (LAm)

agave

n → Agave f