esparto

American

[ih-spahr-toh] / ɪˈspɑr toʊ /

Or esparto grass

noun

any of several grasses, especially Stipa tenacissima, of southern Europe and northern Africa, used for making paper, cordage, etc.

esparto British

/ ɛˈspɑːtəʊ /

noun

any of various grasses, esp Stipa tenacissima of S Europe and N Africa, that yield a fibre used to make ropes, mats, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

espartos

plural

Etymology

Origin of esparto

1585–95; < Spanish < Latin spartum < Greek spárton rope made of spártos kind of rush

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023