Definition

1. Noun:
   • A tropical plant: A Mexican or West Indian plant (Agave sisalana) with large, thick, fleshy leaves that yield a strong, stiff natural fiber.
   • A plant fiber: The tough, durable fiber obtained from the leaves of the sisal plant, used primarily for making rope, twine, and other cordage.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Plant):
  • The sisal is a hardy plant that thrives in arid climates.
  • Large plantations in Brazil and Tanzania grow sisal for its valuable fiber.
• Noun (Fiber):
  • Traditional ropes were often made from sisal.
  • The coarse texture of sisal makes it ideal for doormats and rustic carpets.

Advanced Usage

• "Sisal hemp": A historical or alternative name for sisal fiber, though it is not true hemp.
  • Early maritime explorers sometimes referred to the cordage as sisal hemp.

Variants and Related Words

• Sisal grass: (Informal) A misnomer sometimes used for the plant, though it is not a grass.
• Sisalana: The specific epithet in the plant's botanical name, .

Synonyms

• Agave fiber: Fiber from plants of the genus , which includes sisal.
• Henequen: A fiber from a related agave plant (), similar to but distinct from sisal.

Related Phrases

• Sisal twine: A specific product made by twisting sisal fibers.
  • The gardener used sisal twine to tie up the tomato plants.
• Sisal industry: Refers to the economic sector involved in cultivating the plant and producing its fiber.
  • The local economy was once dependent on the sisal industry.

Noun

1. Mexican or West Indian plant with large fleshy leaves yielding a stiff fiber used in e.g. rope
2. a plant fiber used for making rope