[koir] 
| the prepared fiber of the husk of the coconut fruit, used in making rope, matting, etc. |
| coir (koir) n. The fiber obtained from the husk of a coconut, used chiefly in making rope and matting. [Malayalam kayar, cord, from kayaru, to be twisted.] |
coir
seed-hair fibre obtained from the outer shell, or husk, of the coconut, the fruit of Cocos nucifera, a tropical plant of the Arecaceae (Palmae) family. The coarse, stiff, reddish brown fibre is made up of smaller threads, each about 0.01 to 0.04 inch (0.03 to 0.1 centimetre) long and 12 to 24 microns (a micron is about 0.00004 inch) in diameter, composed of lignin, a woody plant substance, and cellulose. Sri Lanka is the centre of coir preparation, with hand processing, believed to produce a superior fibre, concentrated in the southwestern part of the island.
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