any of various grasses, esp Stipa tenacissima of S Europe and N Africa, that yield a fibre used to make ropes, mats, etc
Also called: halfa
Word origin
C18: from Spanish, via Latin from Greek sparton rope made of rushes, from spartos a kind of rush
esparto in American English
(ɛsˈpɑrtoʊ)
noun
either of two kinds of long, coarse grass (Stipa tenacissima or Lygeum spartum) growing in Spain and N Africa, used to make cordage, baskets, shoes, and paper
: also esparto grass
Word origin
Sp < L spartum < Gr sparton, spartos < IE base *sper-, to turn > spiral