agave

noun

aga·​ve ə-ˈgä-vē 

: any of a genus (Agave of the family Agavaceae, the agave family) of plants having spiny-margined leaves and flowers in tall spreading panicles and including some cultivated for their fiber or sap or for ornament

Illustration of agave

Examples of agave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This inaugural release is noteworthy for being the first tequila made solely from agaves de semilla, or agaves grown from seed. —Rachel King, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024

Ornamental grasses and succulents like aloe vera and agave bring texture and water efficiency, and Mediterranean shrubs such as myrtle, thyme, and sage offer resilience and aromatic charm. —Christine Chitnis, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Aug. 2024

Blend up your fruit of choice, mix with honey or agave to taste, swirl with yogurt, and freeze in popsicle molds overnight. —Katie Drakeford, Ma, Rd, Csp, Ld, Parents, 31 July 2024

The tequila is made from 100 percent Blue Weber agave, as required by law, that is grown in the Los Altos de Jalisco region. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, borrowed from Greek agauḗ, feminine of agauós "admirable, illustrious, brilliant," of uncertain origin

Note: First distinguished as a genus separate from aloe by Linnaeus in Hortus Upsaliensis v. 1 (Stockholm, 1748), p. 87-88: "The African and Asian [species of aloe], naturally of pharmacological use and known for a longer time, would retain their everyday pharmacological name; another name should be conferred on these [species of Agave], and since among the synonyms nothing worthy presents itself, and an ancient name may be applied to an ancient genus, thereby I have called it Agave as it is an admirable plant" ("Africanae & Asiaticae utpote officinales, diutius notae retineant nomen officinale & usitatissimum; aliud his imponatur, inter synonyma nullum dignum occur[r]it, licet antiquo generi antiquum nomen competeret, ideoque dixi Agave quasi plantam admirabilem."). The non-Latinization of final eta may have been motivated by the various mythological personages named Agave in Latin versions of Greek tales. The etymology of Greek agauós is uncertain; a connection with agánai/ágamai, "wonder at, admire," is plausible semantically, but the internal upsilon seems justified neither by the root nor by ordinary derivation.

First Known Use

1760, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing agave

• blue agave

Kids Definition

agave

noun

aga·​ve ə-ˈgäv-ē 

: any of a genus of plants (as the century plant) that have spiny-edged leaves and flowers in tall branched clusters and include some cultivated for fiber or for ornament

Medical Definition

agave

noun

aga·​ve ə-ˈgäv-ē 

1

capitalized : a genus of plants (family Agavaceae) that are native to tropical America and to the southwestern United States, have spiny-margined leaves in basal rosettes and tall spikes of flowers, and include some that are cultivated for their fiber or sap or for ornament

2

: a plant (as the century plant) of the genus Agave