Fibre used for ropes (5)
I believe the answer is:
sisal
'fibre used for ropes' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for sisal that I've seen before include "Strong rope fibre" , "Plant producing rope" , "Plant fibre used for ropes" , "material for painter, say?" , "Type of fibre" .)