Definition of "maguey" [mag•uey]

• Any of various American plants of the genus Agave, especially the century plant. Also called mescal. (noun)
• Any of various plants of the related genus Furcraea. (noun)
• The fiber obtained from any of these plants. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "At all events, the maguey is a source of unfailing profit, the consumption of pulque being enormous, so that many of the richest families in the capital owe their fortune entirely to the produce of their magueys."
• "The Americanized name for maguey is century plant, and they are pretty common in the Southwest."
• "The filling for these tacos is traditionally prepared by wrapping sheep, lamb or goat meat in maguey leaf linings, called pencas, placing it over a pan to catch the juices which help steam the meat, and burying it in a fire pit in the ground, something like an underground oven."