hemp
1. an annual strong-smelling Asian plant, Cannabis sativa, having tough fibres, deeply lobed leaves, and small greenish flowers: family Cannabidaeceae
2. the fibre of this plant, used to make canvas, rope, etc.
3. any of several narcotic drugs obtained from some varieties of this plant, esp from Indian hemp
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Hemp
One of the oldest cultivated crops, its use dates back to the stone age. Hemp is one of the most environmentally friendly fibers in the world and requires no pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, and it uses very little water. Hemp exhibits eight times the strength of cotton and can be woven into a variety of textures. Although currently illegal to cultivate in the United States, hemp is a fast-growing, environmentally sound substitute for cotton and wood fibers that requires little or no chemicals to produce paper, textiles, and a variety of other products.
Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture Copyright © 2012, 2002, 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Hemp
the coarse bast fiber from the stem of hemp plants (Cannabis sativa). The bast fibers from other plant species are also called hemp, for example, Manila hemp. Industrial hemp consists of elementary fibers measuring 14–15 mm long that are glued together. Fibers more than 700 mm long are obtained by breaking and scutching the washed and dried stems of C. sativa. Short fibers measuring 175–250 mm long are obtained from cleaning the by-products of scutching; they are also obtained from the short, matted, entangled, low-quality straw. Hemp is used to manufacture rope, string, twine, fishnets, canvas, sailcloth, and materials for furniture upholstery and drapery.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.