mangrove n.

type of tropical shrub or tree that grows abundantly in tidal mud with large masses of interlacing roots above ground, 1610s, mangrow, probably from Spanish mangle, mangue (1530s), which is perhaps from a word in Carib or Arawakan, native languages of the West Indies. The modern spelling in English (1690s) is from influence of grove. A Malay (Austronesian) origin also has been proposed for the word, but it is difficult to explain how that would come to be used at that date for the American plant.