henequen

American  

[hen-uh-kin] / ˈhɛn ə kɪn /

Or henequin

noun

1. the fiber of an agave, Agave fourcroydes, of Yucatán, used for making ropes, coarse fabrics, etc.

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henequen British  

/ ˈhɛnɪkɪn /

noun

1. an agave plant, Agave fourcroydes , that is native to Yucatán

2. the fibre of this plant, used in making rope, twine, and coarse fabrics

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Etymology

Origin of henequen

First recorded in 1875–80; from Latin American Spanish henequén, earlier geniquén, jeniquén, heniquén, perhaps from an Indigenous language of Hispaniola, where the word was allegedly first used

Example Sentences

Rojo was a descendent of Tetabiate, a Yaqui leader killed in a 1901 battle with the government, which deported the surviving Yaquis to work in slave-like conditions on henequen plantations in far-away Yucatan.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 28, 2022

Like the other haciendas in the area it was once part of a henequen ranch.

From New York Times • Feb. 25, 2019

By the time henequen had become the Yucatán’s economic mainstay, most trade had shifted away from Campeche to the newly built port of Progreso — or Progress — on the peninsula’s northern coast.

From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2018

Manila fiber from the Philippines, and Sisal and henequen from the Yucatan yielded twine that tied the tightest and were naturally insect repellent.

From Scientific American • Apr. 23, 2012

An important industry is the growing of fibre-producing plants, especially the henequen and ixtle, and there are many haciendas engaged in this remunerative branch of agriculture.

From Mexico Its Ancient and Modern Civilisation, History, Political Conditions, Topography, Natural Resources, Industries and General Development by Hume, Martin