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
Origin of mangrove
altered (infl. by grove) from earlier mangrowe from Portuguese mangue from Spanish mangle from the West Indian (Taino) name designating a family (Rhizophoraceae, order Rhizophorales) of dicotyledonous trees and shrubs that inhabit tidal marshes and river mouths in the tropics
