hemplike fiber from the leaves of certain sansevierias
bowstring hemp in American English
noun
any of various fibrous plants of the genus Sansevieria, of Asia and Africa, having stiff, erect, variegated, or mottled leaves, cultivated in the U.S. as an ornamental
Word origin
[1865–70]This word is first recorded in the period 1865–70. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: batting average, black belt, figure skating, maverick, valence