agave
agave Lexical Profile
• noun
The edible, starchy heart (piña), young flower stalk, or basal leaf tissue of the agave plant, traditionally slow-roasted in pit ovens and consumed as a sweet, fibrous root-like vegetable in Mexican and Southwestern Indigenous cuisine, or fermented and distilled to make mezcal and tequila.
"Pit-roasted agave was a vital dietary staple for Indigenous peoples across the arid Southwest."
A sweet, golden syrup or nectar extracted from the sap of certain agave plants, widely used in cooking and beverages as a natural liquid sweetener and vegan alternative to honey.
"She drizzled a spoonful of agave over her morning oatmeal instead of refined sugar."
Any of various succulent plants of the genus Agave (family Asparagaceae), native to arid and semiarid regions of the Americas, characterized by a large basal rosette of thick, fleshy, spiny-margined leaves and a tall, branched flower stalk bearing clusters of tubular yellow or greenish blossoms that typically appear only once before the plant dies.
"The desert garden was landscaped with drought-tolerant cacti and blue agave."
• Rhymes for agave
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 18th century from Modern Latin Agave, which Carl Linnaeus adapted from the Ancient Greek mythological name Agauē (literally meaning 'noble' or 'illustrious', from agauos), in reference to the plant's towering, stately flower stalk.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.