Manila hemp

American  

noun

1. a fibrous material made from the leafstalks of the abacá, Musa textilis, used for making ropes, fabrics, etc.

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Manila hemp British  

noun

1. a fibre obtained from the plant abaca, used for rope, paper, etc

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Etymology

Origin of Manila hemp

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

The stalk contains 10-20% of a fiber that is superior to cotton and linen intensile strength, second only to Manila hemp.

From Time Magazine Archive

Manila hemp comes from abaca, a plant much like the one bananas grow on.

From Time Magazine Archive

The best Manila hemp ought to be white, dry, and of a long and fine fibre.

From Little Masterpieces of Science: Explorers by Iles, George

Another chief product of the Philippines, which first found its way into the markets of the world from these islands, is what is called Manila hemp.

From Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, Volume II (Commodore B. Von Wullerstorf-Urbair,) Undertaken by Order of the Imperial Government in the Years 1857, 1858, & 1859, Under the Immediate Auspices of His I. and R. Highness the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, Commander-In-Chief of the Austrian Navy. by Scherzer, Karl Ritter von

Manila hemp is the product of a species of banana.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 3 Atrebates to Bedlis by Various