mangrove

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A tropical tree that grows in shallow salt water along coasts, with thick roots that rise above the mud.

   Grammar: Countable: one mangrove, several mangroves.

   Patterns

   • a mangrove tree
   • mangrove roots
   • mangrove forests

   Mangroves grow along the coast where rivers meet the sea.

   The mangrove's tangled roots trap mud and protect the shoreline from storms.

   We paddled through a narrow channel lined with mangroves.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountable

   A dense area of these trees, often forming a coastal forest or swamp.

   Grammar: Often used in the plural or in compounds like "mangrove swamp"; as a habitat it can be uncountable.

   Patterns

   • a mangrove swamp
   • mangrove forest
   • areas of mangrove

   The mangrove is home to crabs, fish and many birds.

   Large areas of mangrove were cleared to make room for shrimp farms.

   Coastal villages depend on the mangrove for wood and food.

Word forms

Common combinations

mangrove forest

The mangrove forest stretches for miles along the delta.

mangrove swamp

Mosquitoes breed in the mangrove swamp behind the village.

mangrove roots

Small fish hide among the mangrove roots.

plant mangroves

Volunteers planted mangroves to restore the eroded coast.

mangrove ecosystem

The mangrove ecosystem supports an amazing variety of wildlife.

Synonyms and how they differ

swamp tree

A general, non-technical term; it can refer to any tree growing in wet ground, not only the coastal salt-tolerant mangrove.

Commonly confused: mangrove or mangrove/mangrove?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “mangrove”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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