sisal

English

Etymology

Named after Sisal, Yucatán.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsaɪsəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪsəl

Noun

sisal (countable and uncountable, plural sisals)

1. A Central American plant, Agave sisalana, cultivated for its sword-shaped leaves that yield fibers used for rope.
2. The fibre of the plant.
3. (rare) A sisal mat.
   • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, page 456:

     Our bedding consisted of a single sisal or straw mat.

Derived terms

• parasisal

Translations

plant

• Bulgarian: американска агава f (amerikanska agava)
• Chichewa: khonje
• Chinese: 劍麻 / 剑麻 (zh) (jiànmá), 剑麻 (zh) (jiànmá)
• Finnish: sisalagaave
• Hindi: सिसल m (sisal), सिसाल m (sisāl)
• Hungarian: szizálkender, szizál (hu)
• Portuguese: sisal m
• Quechua: ch'awar
• Spanish: cabuya (es) f
• Swahili: mkatani

fiber

• Bulgarian: сизал m (sizal)
• Finnish: sisali (fi), sisal (fi), sisalkuitu
• German: Sisal (de) m
• Hindi: सिसल m (sisal), सिसाल m (sisāl)
• Hungarian: szizálrost
• Portuguese: sisal m
• Swahili: katani

mat

• Finnish: sisalmatto
• Hindi: सिसल m (sisal), सिसाल m (sisāl)

Anagrams

• SAILs, Silas, lassi, sails

Finnish

Etymology

From English sisal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsisɑl/, [ˈs̠is̠ɑ̝l]
• Rhymes: -isɑl
• Syllabification^(key): si‧sal
• Hyphenation^(key): si‧sal

Noun

sisal

1. sisal

   Synonym: sisalkuitu

Declension

Inflection of sisal (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		sisal	sisalit
genitive		sisalin	sisalien
partitive		sisalia	sisaleja
illative		sisaliin	sisaleihin
		singular	plural
nominative		sisal	sisalit
accusative	nom.	sisal	sisalit
	gen.	sisalin
genitive		sisalin	sisalien
partitive		sisalia	sisaleja
inessive		sisalissa	sisaleissa
elative		sisalista	sisaleista
illative		sisaliin	sisaleihin
adessive		sisalilla	sisaleilla
ablative		sisalilta	sisaleilta
allative		sisalille	sisaleille
essive		sisalina	sisaleina
translative		sisaliksi	sisaleiksi
abessive		sisalitta	sisaleitta
instructive		—	sisalein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of sisal (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative sisalini sisalini accusative nom. sisalini sisalini gen. sisalini genitive sisalini sisalieni partitive sisaliani sisalejani inessive sisalissani sisaleissani elative sisalistani sisaleistani illative sisaliini sisaleihini adessive sisalillani sisaleillani ablative sisaliltani sisaleiltani allative sisalilleni sisaleilleni essive sisalinani sisaleinani translative sisalikseni sisaleikseni abessive sisalittani sisaleittani instructive — — comitative — sisaleineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative sisalisi sisalisi accusative nom. sisalisi sisalisi gen. sisalisi genitive sisalisi sisaliesi partitive sisaliasi sisalejasi inessive sisalissasi sisaleissasi elative sisalistasi sisaleistasi illative sisaliisi sisaleihisi adessive sisalillasi sisaleillasi ablative sisaliltasi sisaleiltasi allative sisalillesi sisaleillesi essive sisalinasi sisaleinasi translative sisaliksesi sisaleiksesi abessive sisalittasi sisaleittasi instructive — — comitative — sisaleinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative sisalimme sisalimme accusative nom. sisalimme sisalimme gen. sisalimme genitive sisalimme sisaliemme partitive sisaliamme sisalejamme inessive sisalissamme sisaleissamme elative sisalistamme sisaleistamme illative sisaliimme sisaleihimme adessive sisalillamme sisaleillamme ablative sisaliltamme sisaleiltamme allative sisalillemme sisaleillemme essive sisalinamme sisaleinamme translative sisaliksemme sisaleiksemme abessive sisalittamme sisaleittamme instructive — — comitative — sisaleinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative sisalinne sisalinne accusative nom. sisalinne sisalinne gen. sisalinne genitive sisalinne sisalienne partitive sisalianne sisalejanne inessive sisalissanne sisaleissanne elative sisalistanne sisaleistanne illative sisaliinne sisaleihinne adessive sisalillanne sisaleillanne ablative sisaliltanne sisaleiltanne allative sisalillenne sisaleillenne essive sisalinanne sisaleinanne translative sisaliksenne sisaleiksenne abessive sisalittanne sisaleittanne instructive — — comitative — sisaleinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative sisalinsa sisalinsa accusative nom. sisalinsa sisalinsa gen. sisalinsa genitive sisalinsa sisaliensa partitive sisaliaan sisaliansa sisalejaan sisalejansa inessive sisalissaan sisalissansa sisaleissaan sisaleissansa elative sisalistaan sisalistansa sisaleistaan sisaleistansa illative sisaliinsa sisaleihinsa adessive sisalillaan sisalillansa sisaleillaan sisaleillansa ablative sisaliltaan sisaliltansa sisaleiltaan sisaleiltansa allative sisalilleen sisalillensa sisaleilleen sisaleillensa essive sisalinaan sisalinansa sisaleinaan sisaleinansa translative sisalikseen sisaliksensa sisaleikseen sisaleiksensa abessive sisalittaan sisalittansa sisaleittaan sisaleittansa instructive — — comitative — sisaleineen sisaleinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• sisalkuitu
• sisalmatto

Further reading

• “sisal”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

Anagrams

• Lassi, lassi, silsa

French

Pronunciation

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

sisal m (plural sisals)

1. sisal (plant, fibre)

Further reading

• “sisal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Indonesian

Etymology

Internationalism

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈsisal/ [ˈsi.sal]
• Rhymes: -isal
• Syllabification: si‧sal

Noun

sisal (plural sisal-sisal)

1. (botany) sisal

Further reading

• “sisal”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

sisal m (definite singular sisalen, indefinite plural sisalar, definite plural sisalane)

1. sisal (plant, fibres)

References

• “sisal” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

• Silas, lassi, lissa, silas, sisal, sisla

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French sisal.

Noun

sisal m (plural sisali)

1. sisal

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	sisal	sisalul	sisali	sisalii
genitive-dative	sisal	sisalului	sisali	sisalilor
vocative	sisalule		sisalilor

Spanish

Noun

sisal m (plural sisales)

1. sisal

Further reading

• “sisal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025