maguey

maguey — noun

1. a large, fleshy-leaved agave plant that grows naturally in Mexico and Central Am

1.名詞B2
釋義

a large, fleshy-leaved agave plant that grows naturally in Mexico and Central America. Its sap is used to make traditional alcoholic drinks such as pulque and mescal, and its fibres are used to make rope, twine, and fabric.

例句

In the highlands of Oaxaca, farmers grow maguey on small family plots for making mescal.

The maguey plant can live for ten to fifteen years before sending up a single tall flower stalk.

contrast between life span and final flowering event

同義詞
  • agave

    broader genus name; all magueys are agaves, but not all agaves are magueys

  • century plant

    common name for some agave species, especially Agave americana; less precise than 'maguey'

文法句型

maguey (as a plant) is countable; maguey (as material) is uncountable

用法筆記

As a countable noun, 'maguey' refers to the living plant (e.g., 'two magueys'); as an uncountable noun, it refers to the plant as a material or product source.

常見錯誤

❌I drank maguey last night.
✅I drank pulque last night.
💡'maguey' is the plant, not the drink made from it.

2. a strong, rough fibre obtained from the leaves of the maguey plant, used for mak

2.名詞C1
釋義

a strong, rough fibre obtained from the leaves of the maguey plant, used for making rope, twine, nets, brushes, and coarse fabrics.

例句

On the Yucatán coast, fisherman Mateo prefers maguey rope for his crab traps because it stays strong even after months in salt water.

The workshop buys raw maguey from cooperatives in Puebla and spins it into high-quality rope.

passive: maguey is bought + processed into [product]

同義詞
  • henequen

    a similar fibre from a different agave species; often used interchangeably in trade contexts

  • sisal

    the most common agave fibre worldwide; lighter in colour than maguey fibre

  • ixtle

    a finer agave fibre from Mexico; less coarse than maguey

文法句型

maguey (fiber) is uncountable

用法筆記

This sense is uncountable — you cannot say 'a maguey' to mean a single fibre. Use 'a piece of maguey fibre' or 'maguey fibre' as a material name.

常見錯誤

❌She pulled a maguey from the brush.
✅She pulled a strand of maguey fibre from the brush.
💡when referring to a single strand, you need a unit word.