Meaning & use
Russian hemp
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountableold-fashionedtechnical
A type of hemp plant or fiber grown in Russia and exported in large amounts, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Grammar: Used as a mass noun: it names a material or crop, so it has no plural and takes a singular verb.
Patterns
- Russian hemp was exported
- a bale of Russian hemp
- trade in Russian hemp
Ships' ropes in the 1800s were often made from Russian hemp because it was strong and cheap.
Merchants in London made good profits from Russian hemp during the Napoleonic Wars.
noununcountabletechnical
The plant Cannabis sativa as grown in Russia, usually for its fiber rather than for drugs.
Grammar: Still uncountable when referring to the plant as a crop; use 'plants' or 'varieties' if you need to count them.
Patterns
- grow Russian hemp
- Russian hemp varieties
Botanists classify Russian hemp as a variety of Cannabis sativa.
Farmers in the region once grew Russian hemp for its tough stalks.
Common combinations
- Russian hemp trade
- The Russian hemp trade declined when cheaper alternatives appeared.
- bale of Russian hemp
- Each bale of Russian hemp weighed over a hundred kilograms.
- Russian hemp fiber
- Russian hemp fiber was prized for making sailcloth.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hemp
- The general word for the plant and its fiber; add 'Russian' only when the origin or historical trade is important.
Commonly confused: Russian hemp or marijuana?
Russian hemp vs marijuana
Marijuana refers to cannabis used as a drug, while Russian hemp usually refers to the fiber crop. The two are related plants but different in purpose.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'Russian hemp' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Russian hemp' is uncountable, so it takes a singular verb and no plural form. 'Was an important export' fits the historical trade sense; the other options wrongly treat it as countable or as something else.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Russian hemp”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.