maguey
maguey — 名詞
1. a large, fleshy-leaved agave plant that grows naturally in Mexico and Central Am
龍舌蘭
墨西哥及中美洲的龍舌蘭屬植物
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.
In the highlands of Oaxaca, farmers grow maguey on small family plots for making mescal.
在瓦哈卡的高地，農民在自家小塊土地上種植龍舌蘭來釀造梅斯卡爾酒。
The maguey plant can live for ten to fifteen years before sending up a single tall flower stalk.
龍舌蘭可以存活十到十五年，之後才會長出一根高大的花莖。
contrast between life span and final flowering event
Diego showed the tourists how to cut the maguey leaves and scrape out the sweet sap inside.
Diego 向遊客示範如何切割龍舌蘭葉片並刮出裡面的甜汁。
A single mature maguey can produce hundreds of litres of sap over several months.
一棵成熟的龍舌蘭可以在數月內產出數百公升的汁液。
The local market sells woven bags, mats, and other items made from maguey fibre.
當地的市集販售用龍舌蘭纖維編織的袋子、草蓆和其他用品。
- 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
2. a strong, rough fibre obtained from the leaves of the maguey plant, used for mak
龍舌蘭纖維
取自龍舌蘭葉片的堅韌纖維
a strong, rough fibre obtained from the leaves of the maguey plant, used for making rope, twine, nets, brushes, and coarse fabrics.
On the Yucatán coast, fisherman Mateo prefers maguey rope for his crab traps because it stays strong even after months in salt water.
在猶加敦半島沿海，漁夫 Mateo 偏好用龍舌蘭纖維繩來做捕蟹籠，因為它在海水中浸泡數月仍保持強韌。
The workshop buys raw maguey from cooperatives in Puebla and spins it into high-quality rope.
這間工坊向普埃布拉的合作社購買生龍舌蘭纖維，再將其紡成高品質的繩索。
passive: maguey is bought + processed into [product]
Sofía's family has been weaving fishing nets from maguey fibre for three generations.
Sofía 的家族已經用龍舌蘭纖維編織漁網三代了。
After the harvest, Luisa threw the old maguey carrying net into her backyard compost pile, and it had fully rotted by the next spring.
收成後，Luisa 把那張舊的龍舌蘭纖維搬運網丟進後院的堆肥堆，到了隔年春天就完全分解了。
The visitor bought a set of maguey placemats and a matching table runner at the artisan market.
那位遊客在手工藝市集買了一組龍舌蘭纖維杯墊和一條搭配的桌旗。
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.