raffia

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raffia

raffia or raphia , fiber obtained from the raffia palm of Madagascar, exported for various uses, such as tying up plants that require support, binding together vegetables to be marketed, and weaving baskets, hats, and mats. It is also made into a native cloth that is exported as rabanna. The raffia palm ( Raphia farinifera or R. ruffia ) is crowned with enormous leaves that may be as much as 65 ft (19.8 m) long and composed of 80 to 100 leaflets. The fiber, which is soft, pliable, strong, and nonshrinking when wet, is torn in thin strips from these leaves. After being dried in the sun, raffia takes on a yellowish-tan hue, but it is often dyed other colors.

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raffia

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

raffia XIX. var. of raphia, var. rofia kind of palm (rofeer XVIII); of Malagasy orig.

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T. F. HOAD. "raffia." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 21 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "raffia." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (December 21, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-raffia.html

T. F. HOAD. "raffia." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved December 21, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-raffia.html

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A Dictionary of Plant Sciences | 1998 | | Â© A Dictionary of Plant Sciences 1998, originally published by Oxford University Press 1998. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

raffia (bast, bass) A fibrous tissue from the upper sides of young leaflets of the palm Raphia vinifera that is used for tying plants and to make hats, mats, ect. See RAPHIA.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "raffia." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 21 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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