raffia
Americannoun
noun
-
Also called: raffia palm. a palm tree, Raphia ruffia , native to Madagascar, that has large plumelike leaves, the stalks of which yield a useful fibre
-
the fibre obtained from this plant, used for tying, weaving, etc
-
any of several related palms or the fibre obtained from them
Etymology
Origin of raffia
1880–85; earlier rofia raffia palm, said to be < Malagasy
Explanation
A raffia is a specific type of African palm tree, and raffia is also the name of the versatile fiber that's made from it. You've might have received a gift that was decorated with a raffia bow. In the world of crafts, raffia is extremely popular. It's a strong, natural fiber that makes an excellent package tie, and it's also used to stake garden plants, weave baskets and placemats, and even for making shoes and hats. In areas of Nigeria, long fronds of raffia are also used as fishing poles. The vast majority of raffia trees are found in Madagascar, and the name comes from the Malagasy rafia.
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.
The British designer has doubled the size of leather and raffia tote bags.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
At the three-year-old JNcQUOI Beach Club, you’re more likely to see people dressed in designer swimsuits holding expensive raffia totes than in the area’s usual uniform of linen shirts and flip-flops.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
I took a photo of my yellow raffia bag, the handle tied with an Hermès horse scarf that once belonged to my maternal grandmother.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
According to Vogue: “30 people were involved in the making of the look, and it took 8,500 hours to make with 60,000 crystals and 7,000 folded petal raffia and raw raffia frayed ravens”.
From BBC ● May 6, 2024
The woven raffia basket on the floor was large and round, not unlike the ones he sometimes saw women balance atop their heads down in the market, but something about this basket was wrong.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
