Definition

Noun: 1. A tall, perennial tropical grass (Saccharum officinarum) native to Southeast Asia, characterized by its stout, fibrous, and jointed stalks. The sap extracted from these stalks is the primary source of most of the world's commercial sugar. 2. The stalks of this plant, which are harvested for their sweet juice. The juice is processed into sugar and molasses, and the fresh stalks can be chewed directly to extract the juice.

Usage Examples

• As a plant/crop:
  • Sugar cane is cultivated extensively in tropical and subtropical regions like Brazil and India.
  • The fields of waving sugar cane stretched as far as the eye could see.
• As the harvested stalk:
  • The mill crushes the sugar cane to extract the raw juice.
  • At the market, vendors sell pieces of fresh sugar cane for people to chew.

Advanced Usage

• "Sugar cane cultivation/industry": Refers to the agricultural and economic activities surrounding the growing and processing of this crop.
  • The sugar cane industry is a major part of the country's economy.
• "Sugar cane juice": The liquid extracted directly from the stalks, often consumed as a fresh beverage.
  • We stopped at a roadside stand for a glass of fresh sugar cane juice.

Variants and Related Words

• Cane sugar (noun): The type of sugar produced specifically from sugar cane, as opposed to sugar from beets.
  • The recipe calls for cane sugar for its distinctive flavor.
• Sugarcane (noun): A common alternative spelling, written as one word.
• Bagasse (noun): The dry, pulpy fibrous material that remains after crushing sugar cane to extract the juice, often used as a biofuel or in manufacturing.
  • The factory uses bagasse to generate power for its operations.

Synonyms

• Saccharum officinarum (noun): The scientific, botanical name for the plant.
• Noble cane (noun): A historical term for the primary cultivated species of sugar cane.

Related Phrases

• To harvest/cut sugar cane: The action of collecting the mature stalks from the field.
  • Workers cut the sugar cane by hand during the harvest season.
• Sugar cane mill/plantation: Places where the crop is processed and grown, respectively.
  • The old sugar cane mill has been converted into a museum.

Noun

1. tall tropical southeast Asian grass having stout fibrous jointed stalks; sap is a chief source of sugar
2. juicy canes whose sap is a source of molasses and commercial sugar; fresh canes are sometimes chewed for the juice