sisal Hear it!

sisal definition

si·sal (sī′səl, sis′əl)

noun

  1. a strong fiber, similar to the related henequen, obtained from the leaves of an agave (Agave sisalana) native to S Mexico and now cultivated throughout the tropics, used for making rope, sacking, insulation, etc.
  2. the plant yielding this fiber

Etymology: after Sisal, Yucatán, a former seaport (< Maya, lit., cold waters)

Also sisal hemp

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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