Mangrove meaning

măngrōv, măng-
mangroves
See word origin
Frequency:
The definition of a mangrove is a tropical tree or shrub that grows in swampy areas and has tangled roots located above ground, or a tidal swamp with a number of these types of trees and shrubs.

A tree with above-ground, tangled roots that is growing in a wetlands area in Florida is an example of a mangrove.

noun
21
3
Any of various coastal or aquatic tropical trees or shrubs, esp. of the mangrove family, that form large colonies in swamps or shallow water and provide a habitat for young fish and shrimp.
noun
11
3
A habitat with such plants; mangrove forest; mangrove swamp.
noun
7
2
Any of various tropical evergreen trees or shrubs that grow in shallow coastal water.
noun
5
2
Plants of the Rhizophoraceae family.
noun
4
2
Advertisement
Trees of the genus Rhizophora.
noun
2
2
Designating a family (Rhizophoraceae, order Rhizophorales) of dicotyledonous trees and shrubs that inhabit tidal marshes and river mouths in the tropics.
adjective
2
3
Any of various tropical or subtropical evergreen salt-tolerant trees or shrubs especially of the family Rhizophoraceae, forming dense thickets along tidal shores and typically having well-developed aerial roots.
noun
1
2

Origin of mangrove

  • Probably Portuguese mangue (from Taíno) grove

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Circa 1610, corruption of earlier mangrow by folk etymology influence of grove, from Portuguese mangue, from Spanish mangle (directly from Spanish), from a Caribbean language, possibly Taino, another Arawakan language, or a Cariban language.

    From Wiktionary

Mangrove Sentence Examples

  • Mangrove swamps are common on the coasts.

  • The mangrove grows on the shores of the west coast in profusion.

  • Great mangrove swamps supply unlimited fire-wood of the best quality.

  • The mangrove swamps at the north-west end of the harbour have been drained and partially built over.

  • Vegetation of all sorts acts in a similar way, either in forming soil and assisting in breaking up rocks, in filling up shallow lakes, and even, like the mangrove, in reclaiming wide stretches of land from the sea.

More sentences →

Related articles

Also Mentioned In

Words near mangrove in the Dictionary