pandanus
noun
pan·da·nus pan-ˈdā-nəs 
-ˈda-
-ˈda- plural pandani pan-ˈdā-(ˌ)nī
-ˈda-
: screw pine
also : a fiber made from screw-pine leaves and used for woven products (such as mats)
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web What made this particular canoe so special was the fact that its sail was traditional, meaning it was woven from pandanus leaves by the women of Lamotrek. 
Julian Aguon, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2021 But in 2014, two strong typhoons washed away the beach and uprooted the pandanus trees that protected the village. New York Times, 13 Oct. 2021 Gin is added to a mixture of the aforementioned duo, as well as pandanus essence, from a tropical plant, and blueberry juice with fresh lemon. Shelbie Lynn Bostedt, RedEye Chicago, 8 June 2017 Visits to the Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts & Culture Centre in Katherine East and the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre in Yirrkala reveal collections of indigenous works, such as colorful bark paintings and intricate pandanus weavings. Ashlea Halpern, The Cut, 11 Apr. 2018 Large and small pieces of coral (32 in all) and pandanus fiber arranged in a circle that radiates out from a tiny palm frond canoe — that’s the star compass on display at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Jill K. Robinson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Feb. 2018 Pink and white water lilies dot its surface, and paperbark forests, pandanus and fresh water mangroves line its shores. Smithsonian, 7 Apr. 2017 An intoxicating perfume of jackfruit and bananas and the vanilla-y scent of pandanus leaves wraps itself around me in a warm, tight embrace. Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register, 27 Jan. 2017 At a handicraft market in downtown Suva, Sarah Naviqa, a shopkeeper, sat in a tiny stall surrounded by mats, bags and fans woven from pandanus leaves. Serena Solomon, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2017 See More
Julian Aguon, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2021 But in 2014, two strong typhoons washed away the beach and uprooted the pandanus trees that protected the village. New York Times, 13 Oct. 2021 Gin is added to a mixture of the aforementioned duo, as well as pandanus essence, from a tropical plant, and blueberry juice with fresh lemon. Shelbie Lynn Bostedt, RedEye Chicago, 8 June 2017 Visits to the Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts & Culture Centre in Katherine East and the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre in Yirrkala reveal collections of indigenous works, such as colorful bark paintings and intricate pandanus weavings. Ashlea Halpern, The Cut, 11 Apr. 2018 Large and small pieces of coral (32 in all) and pandanus fiber arranged in a circle that radiates out from a tiny palm frond canoe — that’s the star compass on display at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Jill K. Robinson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Feb. 2018 Pink and white water lilies dot its surface, and paperbark forests, pandanus and fresh water mangroves line its shores. Smithsonian, 7 Apr. 2017 An intoxicating perfume of jackfruit and bananas and the vanilla-y scent of pandanus leaves wraps itself around me in a warm, tight embrace. Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register, 27 Jan. 2017 At a handicraft market in downtown Suva, Sarah Naviqa, a shopkeeper, sat in a tiny stall surrounded by mats, bags and fans woven from pandanus leaves. Serena Solomon, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, genus name, from Malay pandan screw pine
First Known Use
1830, in the meaning defined above