Plural of alfa; a type of tough, wiry grass with long, narrow leaves used to make rope, paper, and other fiber products; also known as esparto grass.
From Arabic 'al-halfa,' where 'halfa' refers to a particular type of grass. The term entered Spanish and other European languages through medieval contact with North Africa, where this grass was economically important for fiber production.
Esparto grass (alfa) was literally the plastic of the ancient Mediterranean—before synthetic fibers, this one plant provided rope, baskets, sandals, and paper, and the Arab world had a whole industry around it! You can still see 'alfa fiber' in specialty products, and the word has stayed the same for over 1,000 years.
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