Adjacent Words

Plant definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PLANT, n. [L. planta; splendeo, splendor.]
1. A vegetable; an organic body, destitute of sense and spontaneous motion, adhering to another body in such a manner as to draw from it its nourishment, and having the power of propagating itself by seeds; "whose seed is in itself." Genesis 1. This definition may not be perfectly correct, as it respects all plants, for some marine plants grow without being attached to any fixed body.
The woody or dicotyledonous plants consist of three parts; the bark or exterior coat, which covers the wood; the wood which is hard and constitutes the principal part; and the pith or center of the stem. In monocotyledonous plants, the ligneous or fibrous parts, and the pithy or parenchymatous, are equally distributed through the whole internal substance; and in the lower plants, funguses, sea weed, etc. the substance is altogether parenchymatous. By means of proper vessels, the nourishing juices are distributed to every part of the plant. In its most general sense, plant comprehends all vegetables, trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, etc. In popular language,the word is generally applied to the smaller species of vegetables.
2. A sapling.
3. In Scripture, a child; a descendant; the inhabitant of a country. Psalms 144. Jeremiah 48.
4. The sole of the foot. [Little used.]
Sea-plant, a plant that grows in the sea or in salt water; sea weed.
Sensitive plant, a plant that shrinks on being touched,the mimosa.
PLANT, v.t. To put in the ground and cover, as seed for growth; as, to plant maiz.
1. To set in the ground for growth, as a young tree or a vegetable with roots.
2. To engender; to set the germ of any thing that may increase.
It engenders choler, planteth anger.
3. To set; to fix.
His standard planted on Laurentum's towers.
4. To settle; to fix the first inhabitants; to establish; as, to plant a colony.
5. To furnish with plants; to lay out and prepare with plants; as, to plant a garden or an orchard.
6. To set and direct or point; as, to plant cannon against a fort.
7. To introduce and establish; as, to plant christianity among the heathen.
I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 1 Corinthians 3.
8. To unite to Christ and fix in a state of fellowship with him. Psalms 92.
PLANT, v.i. To perform the act of planting.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: buildings for carrying on industrial labor; "they built a large plant to manufacture automobiles" [syn: plant, works, industrial plant]
2: (botany) a living organism lacking the power of locomotion [syn: plant, flora, plant life]
3: an actor situated in the audience whose acting is rehearsed but seems spontaneous to the audience
4: something planted secretly for discovery by another; "the police used a plant to trick the thieves"; "he claimed that the evidence against him was a plant" v
1: put or set (seeds, seedlings, or plants) into the ground; "Let's plant flowers in the garden" [syn: plant, set]
2: fix or set securely or deeply; "He planted a knee in the back of his opponent"; "The dentist implanted a tooth in the gum" [syn: implant, engraft, embed, imbed, plant]
3: set up or lay the groundwork for; "establish a new department" [syn: establish, found, plant, constitute, institute]
4: place into a river; "plant fish"
5: place something or someone in a certain position in order to secretly observe or deceive; "Plant a spy in Moscow"; "plant bugs in the dissident's apartment"
6: put firmly in the mind; "Plant a thought in the students' minds" [syn: plant, implant]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Old English plantian, from Late Latin plantare to plant, fix in place, from Latin, to plant, from planta plant Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. a. to put or set in the ground for growth <plant seeds> b. to set or sow with seeds or plants c. implant 2. a. establish, institute b. colonize, settle c. to place (animals) in a new locality d. to stock with animals 3. a. to place in or on the ground b. to place firmly or forcibly <planted a hard blow on his chin> 4. a. conceal b. to covertly place for discovery, publication, or dissemination intransitive verb to plant something • plantable adjective II. noun Etymology: Middle English plante, from Old English, from Latin planta Date: before 12th century 1. a. a young tree, vine, shrub, or herb planted or suitable for planting b. any of a kingdom (Plantae) of multicellular eukaryotic mostly photosynthetic organisms typically lacking locomotive movement or obvious nervous or sensory organs and possessing cellulose cell walls 2. a. the land, buildings, machinery, apparatus, and fixtures employed in carrying on a trade or an industrial business b. a factory or workshop for the manufacture of a particular product; also power plant c. the total facilities available for production or service d. the buildings and other physical equipment of an institution 3. an act of planting 4. something or someone planted • plantlike adjective

Britannica Concise

Any organism in the kingdom Plantae, consisting of multicellular, eukaryotic life forms (see eukaryote) with six fundamental characteristics: photosynthesis as the almost exclusive mode of nutrition, essentially unlimited growth at meristems, cells that contain cellulose in their walls and are therefore somewhat rigid, the absence of organs of movement, the absence of sensory and nervous systems, and life histories that show alternation of generations. No definition of the kingdom completely excludes all nonplant organisms or even includes all plants. Many plants, for example, are not green and thus do not produce their own food by photosynthesis, being instead parasitic on other living plants (see parasitism). Others obtain their food from dead organic matter. Many animals possess plantlike characteristics, such as a lack of mobility (e.g., sponges) or the presence of a plantlike growth form (e.g., some corals and bryozoans), but in general such animals lack other plant characteristics. Some past classification systems (see taxonomy) placed difficult groups such as protozoans, bacteria, algae, slime molds, and fungi (see fungus) in the plant kingdom, but structural and functional differences between these organisms and plants have convinced most scientists to classify them elsewhere.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a any living organism of the kingdom Plantae, usu. containing chlorophyll enabling it to live wholly on inorganic substances and lacking specialized sense organs and the power of voluntary movement. b a small organism of this kind, as distinguished from a shrub or tree. 2 a machinery, fixtures, etc., used in industrial processes. b a factory. 3 colloq. something, esp. incriminating or compromising, positioned or concealed so as to be discovered later. --v.tr. 1 place (a seed, bulb, or growing thing) in the ground so that it may take root and flourish. 2 (often foll. by in, on, etc.) put or fix in position. 3 deposit (young fish, spawn, oysters, etc.) in a river or lake. 4 station (a person etc.), esp. as a spy or source of information. 5 refl. take up a position (planted myself by the door). 6 cause (an idea etc.) to be established esp. in another person's mind. 7 deliver (a blow, kiss, etc.) with a deliberate aim. 8 sl. position or conceal (something incriminating or compromising) for later discovery. 9 a settle or people (a colony etc.). b found or establish (a city, community, etc.). 10 bury. Phrases and idioms: plant-louse a small insect that infests plants, esp. an aphis. plant out transfer (a plant) from a pot or frame to the open ground; set out (seedlings) at intervals. Derivatives: plantable adj. plantlet n. plantlike adj. Etymology: OE plante & F plante f. L planta sprout, slip, cutting

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Plant Plant, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planted; p. pr. & vb. n. Planting.] [AS. plantian, L. plantare. See Plant, n.] 1. To put in the ground and cover, as seed for growth; as, to plant maize. 2. To set in the ground for growth, as a young tree, or a vegetable with roots. Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees. --Deut. xvi. 21. 3. To furnish, or fit out, with plants; as, to plant a garden, an orchard, or a forest. 4. To engender; to generate; to set the germ of. It engenders choler, planteth anger. --Shak. 5. To furnish with a fixed and organized population; to settle; to establish; as, to plant a colony. Planting of countries like planting of woods. --Bacon. 6. To introduce and establish the principles or seeds of; as, to plant Christianity among the heathen. 7. To set firmly; to fix; to set and direct, or point; as, to plant cannon against a fort; to plant a standard in any place; to plant one's feet on solid ground; to plant one's fist in another's face. 8. To set up; to install; to instate. We will plant some other in the throne. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Plant Plant, n. [AS. plante, L. planta.] 1. A vegetable; an organized living being, generally without feeling and voluntary motion, and having, when complete, a root, stem, and leaves, though consisting sometimes only of a single leafy expansion, or a series of cellules, or even a single cellule. Note: Plants are divided by their structure and methods of reproduction into two series, ph[ae]nogamous or flowering plants, which have true flowers and seeds, and cryptogamous or flowerless plants, which have no flowers, and reproduce by minute one-celled spores. In both series are minute and simple forms and others of great size and complexity. As to their mode of nutrition, plants may be considered as self-supporting and dependent. Self-supporting plants always contain chlorophyll, and subsist on air and moisture and the matter dissolved in moisture, and as a general rule they excrete oxygen, and use the carbonic acid to combine with water and form the material for their tissues. Dependent plants comprise all fungi and many flowering plants of a parasitic or saprophytic nature. As a rule, they have no chlorophyll, and subsist mainly or wholly on matter already organized, thus utilizing carbon compounds already existing, and not excreting oxygen. But there are plants which are partly dependent and partly self-supporting. The movements of climbing plants, of some insectivorous plants, of leaves, stamens, or pistils in certain plants, and the ciliary motion of zo["o]spores, etc., may be considered a kind of voluntary motion. 2. A bush, or young tree; a sapling; hence, a stick or staff. ``A plant of stubborn oak.'' --Dryden. 3. The sole of the foot. [R.] ``Knotty legs and plants of clay.'' --B. Jonson. 4. (Com.) The whole machinery and apparatus employed in carrying on a trade or mechanical business; also, sometimes including real estate, and whatever represents investment of capital in the means of carrying on a business, but not including material worked upon or finished products; as, the plant of a foundry, a mill, or a railroad. 5. A plan; an artifice; a swindle; a trick. [Slang] It was n't a bad plant, that of mine, on Fikey. --Dickens. 6. (Zo["o]l.) (a) An oyster which has been bedded, in distinction from one of natural growth. (b) A young oyster suitable for transplanting. [Local, U.S.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Plant Plant, v. i. To perform the act of planting. I have planted; Apollos watered. --1 Cor. iii. 6.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(plants, planting, planted) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. A plant is a living thing that grows in the earth and has a stem, leaves, and roots. Water each plant as often as required. ...exotic plants. N-COUNT see also bedding plant, pot plant, rubber plant 2. When you plant a seed, plant, or young tree, you put it into the ground so that it will grow there. He says he plans to plant fruit trees and vegetables. VERB: V n • planting Extensive flooding in the country has delayed planting and many crops are still under water. 3. When someone plants land with a particular type of plant or crop, they put plants, seeds, or young trees into the land to grow them there. They plan to plant the area with grass and trees... Recently much of their energy has gone into planting a large vegetable garden. ...newly planted fields. VERB: V n with n, V n, V-ed 4. A plant is a factory or a place where power is produced. ...Ford's British car assembly plants... The plant provides forty per cent of the country's electricity. N-COUNT 5. Plant is large machinery that is used in industrial processes. ...investment in plant and equipment. = machinery N-UNCOUNT 6. If you plant something somewhere, you put it there firmly. She planted her feet wide and bent her knees slightly. ...with his enormous feet planted heavily apart. VERB: V n adv/prep, V-ed adv/prep 7. To plant something such as a bomb means to hide it somewhere so that it explodes or works there. So far no one has admitted planting the bomb. VERB: V n 8. If something such as a weapon or drugs is planted on someone, it is put among their possessions or in their house so that they will be wrongly accused of a crime. He claimed that the drugs had been planted to incriminate him. VERB: oft passive, be V-ed 9. If an organization plants someone somewhere, they send that person there so that they can get information or watch someone secretly. Journalists informed police who planted an undercover detective to trap Smith. VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. Vegetable. II. v. a. 1. Put in the ground (as seed). 2. Set in the ground (as a shrub). 3. Furnish with plants. 4. Engender, breed. 5. Set, direct, point. 6. Settle, furnish inhabitants to. 7. Introduce, establish. 8. Fix, establish, settle, found. III. v. n. Sow, scatter seed, put in seed.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

The place in the house of the fence where stolen goods are secreted. Any place where stolen goods are concealed.

Moby Thesaurus

accouterments, adulterate, agent provocateur, amphibian, angiosperm, annual, apparatus, appliances, appointments, appurtenances, aquatic plant, armament, armory, arsenal, assembly line, assembly plant, assign, atomic energy plant, base, bed, biennial, bindery, boatyard, boilery, bookbindery, bosom, bottle up, brewery, brickyard, broadcast, build, build in, bury, bush, cache, cannery, capper, clawed, colonize, come-on man, conceal, confirm, conveniences, cook, cosmopolite, cover, creamery, cutting, dairy, deciduous plant, decoy, deep-dye, defense plant, define, denizen, deposit, dibble, dicot, dicotyledon, disseminate, distillery, dockyard, doctor, drill, duffel, dust, embed, embosom, empeople, engraft, engrave, entomb, entrench, ephemeral, equipage, equipment, establish, etch, evergreen, exotic, facilities, facility, factory, factory belt, factory district, fake, feeder plant, file and forget, fittings, fix, fixtures, flour mill, flower, flowering plant, footed, forest, found, foundry, fungus, furnishings, furniture, gametophyte, gear, ground, gymnosperm, herb, hide, hide away, hoofed, hydrophyte, impact, impedimenta, implant, impress, imprint, industrial park, industrial zone, infix, informant, informer, ingrain, inhabit, inhume, inject, inscribe, inseminate, insinuate, install, installations, inter, introduce, invest, jam, juggle, keep hidden, keep secret, kit, lay away, lay the foundation, load, lock up, lodge, machinery, main plant, manipulate, manufactory, manufacturing plant, manufacturing quarter, materiel, mill, mint, monocot, monocotyl, munition, munitions, munitions plant, occult, oil refinery, outfit, pack, packing house, paraphernalia, pedal, people, perennial, pitch, place, plantar, plumbing, polycot, polycotyl, polycotyledon, populate, position, pot, pottery, power plant, print, production line, push-button plant, put, put away, put in, put up, refinery, reforest, reset, retimber, retouch, rig, rigging, root, salt, sawmill, scatter, scatter seed, screen, seal up, seat, secret agent, secrete, seed, seed down, seed plant, seedling, seminate, set, set in, set out, set up, settle, settle in, shill, shipyard, shop, shrub, situate, sophisticate, sow, sow broadcast, spermatophyte, sporophyte, spy, stack, stamp, stash, station, stereotype, stock-in-trade, stool pigeon, stoolie, store away, stow away, subassembly plant, sugar refinery, tackle, taloned, tamper with, tannery, thallophyte, things, toed, tomb, transplant, tree, triennial, ungulate, utensils, vascular plant, vegetable, vest, vine, wedge, weed, winery, works, yard, yards