English Explanatory Dictionary

plantain

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any plant of the genus Plantago, with a rosette of sessile leaves about 10 cm (4") long with a narrow part instead of a petiole, and with a spike inflorescence with the flower spacing varying widely among the species. See also psyllium.
noun
  1. A plant in the genus Musa, the genus that includes banana, but with lower sugar content than banana.
  2. The fruit of the plant, usually cooked before eating and used like potatoes.

Pronunciation

/ˈplæn.tɪn/ /ˈplæn.teɪn/ /ˈplɑːn.teɪn/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-plantain.wav /plænˈteɪn/ /ˈplɑːntɪn/ [ˈplaː(n)ʔn̩]

Word forms

plantain plantains

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English planteyne, planteyn, from Anglo-Norman plainteine et al., Old French plaintain, from Latin plantāgō, from planta (“sole of the foot”), a nasalized form of Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- (“flat; to spread”), because of the broad, flat shape of the plantain leaves.

Synonyms

waybread fleawort

Derived words

African plantain American plantain Asian plantain blackseed plantain blond plantain bracted plantain broadleaf plantain buck's horn plantain buckhorn plantain buckshorn plantain California plantain common plantain depressed plantain doronic plantain dwarf plantain English plantain evergreen plantain greater plantain hare's foot plantain hartshorn plantain heart-leaf plantain Heller's plantain hoary plantain Indian plantain mud plantain narrowleaf plantain narrow-leaved plantain pale plantain plantain goldenweed plantain-leaf leopard's-bane plantain lily plantain moth plantain signal grass plantain water poor Robin's plantain rattlesnake plantain redseed plantain ribwort plantain Robin's plantain Rugel's plantain sand plantain sea plantain seaside plantain Virginia plantain water plantain woolly plantain Wright's plantain banana plantain bastard plantain bocadillo plantain cooking plantain French plantain plantain cutter plantain eater plantain-eater plantain squirrel plantain tree true plantain wild plantain
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