maguey

American  

[mag-wey, muh-gey, mah-gey] / ˈmæg weɪ, məˈgeɪ, mɑˈgeɪ /

noun

magueys plural

1. any of several plants of the genus Agave, of the agave family, especially the cantala, A. cantala.

2. the fiber from these plants.

3. a rope made from this or a similar fiber.

---

maguey British  

/ ˈmæɡweɪ /

noun

1. any of various tropical American agave plants of the genera Agave or Furcraea, esp one that yields a fibre or is used in making an alcoholic beverage

2. the fibre from any of these plants, used esp for rope

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• magueys
  plural

Etymology

Origin of maguey

First recorded in 1545–55; from Spanish, from Taíno

Compare meaning

How does maguey compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• maguey vs. agave

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

maguey magueys

They expected the results might point to several different insects, since gusanos de maguey are harvested from the wild rather than raised through a standardized commercial system.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 26, 2026

In his grief, Quetzalcoatl planted Mayahuel's remains, from which a maguey plant grew.

From Salon ● Dec. 3, 2024

Juchitán is a grueling, five-hour drive from Oaxaca City past parched Sierra Madre peaks spiked with maguey, the raw ingredient of mezcal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2024

Some steam adobo-marinated goat wrapped in maguey leaves in an oven.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 16, 2021

We pass milpitas, and big spiky maguey plants with white sheets and colorful laundry drying upon them.

From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads

The following spring, all the magueys on the hill sprouted stalks that bore the graffiti that declared their eternal love, a bit of magical realism that’s also one of the great reveals in ranchera history.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2021

I imagine those who wash our clothing and bedding then carefully drape it over magueys to dry.

From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads

We measured, at the same place, magueys or agaves, the long stems of which, laden with flowers, were forty-four feet high.

From Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 1 by Ross, Thomasina

I was on my honour, my steed upon his mettle; and without halt we went plunging through the magueys.

From The War Trail The Hunt of the Wild Horse by Reid, Mayne

The vegetational cover is usually open, including grasses, small oaks and pines, broad-leaved shrubs and herbs, prickly pears, magueys, thorny acacias, bracken fern, and epiphytes in trees.

From A New Species of Frog (Genus Tomodactylus) from Western Mexico by Webb, Robert G.