mangrove

Meaning

Noun

• Any of various tropical evergreen trees or shrubs that grow in intertidal coastal brackish waters.
• A habitat with such plants; mangrove forest; mangrove swamp; mangal.
• Plants of the Rhizophoraceae family.
• Trees of the genus Rhizophora.

Origin

• Circa 1610, corruption of earlier mangrow by folk etymology influence of grove, from Portuguese mangue, from Spanish mangle (or directly from Spanish), from a Caribbean language, possibly Taíno, another language, or a language.