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
Word origin
C16: Spanish, from Taino
maguey in American English
(ˈmægˌweɪ; Spanish mɑˈgɛi)
noun
1.
any of a number of fleshy-leaved, fiber-yielding agaves of the SW U.S., Mexico, and Central America; esp., the century plant and species used in making rope, pulque, and tequila
2.
any of several other plants (genus Furcraea) of the same family
3.
any of several kinds of tough fibers from these plants