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maguey

American  
[mag-way, muh-gay, mah-gay] / 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

"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

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of maguey

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


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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.

See Examples For:

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

From her stall featuring regional delicacies — chile-infused dried grasshoppers, juicy white worms from the maguey plant and handmade chocolates, among other edible fare — 63-year-old Eufenia Hernandez issued a challenge to U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2023

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

Like the magueys, it ran transversely to our course.

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

Meanwhile my comrades had crept into the magueys to wait for me.

From The Rifle Rangers by Mayne Reid

But there are so few incidents in our quiet life among the magueys, that I shall write no more till we return from San Agustin after the fête.

From Life in Mexico by Madame (Frances Erskine Inglis) Calderón de la Barca

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