abaca
Americannoun
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a Philippine plant, Musa textilis.
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the fiber of this plant, used in making rope, fabrics, etc.
noun
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a Philippine plant, Musa textilis, related to the banana: family Musaceae. Its leafstalks are the source of Manila hemp
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another name for Manila hemp
Etymology
Origin of abaca
1810–20; < Spanish < Tagalog abaká
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
From a helicopter, “we saw the devastation of coconuts, abaca and the forests. There are lots of houses without roofs,” Lorenzana said by text message.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 27, 2016
The artist Randy Brozen will lead the workshop, showing young artists how to make paper from the fibers of cotton and abaca, a type of banana tree that grows in the Philippines.
From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2014
A little further on, we pass an older man in a Diesel T-shirt, shredding abaca bark to make twine.
From Slate ● Feb. 29, 2012
Manila hemp comes from abaca, a plant much like the one bananas grow on.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Another use of mats is in the baling of two of the staple products of the Philippines, tobacco and abaca.
From Philippine Mats Philippine Craftsman Reprint Series No. 1 by Hugo H. Miller
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