Adjacent Words

Plantain definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PLANT'AIN, n. [L. plantago.] A plant of the genus Plantago, of several species. The water plantain is of the genus Alisma.
PLANT'AIN

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: any of numerous plants of the genus Plantago; mostly small roadside or dooryard weeds with elliptic leaves and small spikes of very small flowers; seeds of some used medicinally
2: a banana tree bearing hanging clusters of edible angular greenish starchy fruits; tropics and subtropics [syn: plantain, plantain tree, Musa paradisiaca]
3: starchy banana-like fruit; eaten (always cooked) as a staple vegetable throughout the tropics

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin plantagin-, plantago, from planta sole of the foot; from its broad leaves — more at place Date: 13th century any of a genus (Plantago of the family Plantaginaceae, the plantain family) of herbs with basal rosettes of usually lanceolate or elliptical leaves and spikes of minute greenish flowers II. noun Etymology: Spanish plántano, plátano plane tree, banana tree, from Medieval Latin plantanus plane tree, alteration of Latin platanus — more at plane Date: 1555 1. a banana plant (Musa paradisiaca) 2. the angular greenish starchy fruit of the plantain that is a staple food in the tropics when cooked

Britannica Concise

Any of about 265 species of familiar garden, lawn, and roadside weeds in the genus Plantago of the family Plantaginaceae. Distinctively, the leaves lack a proper blade. What appears to be a blade is an expanded petiole (leafstalk), with several parallel main veins, emerging at the base of the stalk. Small flowers are borne in spikes or heads atop long leafless stalks. The greater plantain (P. major) provides seed spikes for bird food. Ribwort, or English, plantain (P. lanceolata) and hoary plantain (P. media) are troublesome weeds. Some species have been useful in medicine (e.g., as an ingredient in laxatives)..Tall plant (Musa paradisiaca) of the banana family that is closely related to the common banana (M. sapientum). Believed to have originated in S.E. Asia, the plantain grows 10-33 ft (3-10 m) tall and has a conical false "trunk" formed by the leaf sheaths of its spirally arranged, long, thin leaves. The green-colored fruit is larger than that of the banana and contains more starch. Because the starch is maximal before the fruit ripens, the fruit is not eaten raw but is boiled or fried, often with coconut juice or sugar as flavoring. It may also be dried for later use in cooking or ground for use as meal, which can be further refined to a flour. The plantain is a staple food and beer-making crop for E. African peoples, and is also eaten in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. any shrub of the genus Plantago, with broad flat leaves spread out close to the ground and seeds used as food for birds and as a mild laxative. Phrases and idioms: plantain lily = HOSTA. Etymology: ME f. OF f. L plantago -ginis f. planta sole of the foot (from its broad prostrate leaves) 2. n. 1 a banana plant, Musa paradisiaca, widely grown for its fruit. 2 the starchy fruit of this containing less sugar than a dessert banana and chiefly used in cooking. Etymology: earlier platan f. Sp. plá(n)tano plane-tree, prob. assim. f. Galibi palatana etc.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Plantain Plan"tain, n. [F., fr. L. plantago. Cf. Plant.] (Bot.) Any plant of the genus Plantago, but especially the P. major, a low herb with broad spreading radical leaves, and slender spikes of minute flowers. It is a native of Europe, but now found near the abode of civilized man in nearly all parts of the world. Indian plantain. (Bot.) See under Indian. Mud plantain, a homely North American aquatic plant (Heteranthera reniformis), having broad, reniform leaves. Rattlesnake plantain, an orchidaceous plant (Goodyera pubescens), with the leaves blotched and spotted with white. Ribwort plantain. See Ribwort. Robin's plantain, the Erigeron bellidifolium, a common daisylike plant of North America. Water plantain, a plant of the genus Alisma, having acrid leaves, and formerly regarded as a specific against hydrophobia. --Loudon.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Plantain Plan"tain, n. [Cf. F. plantain-arbre, plantanier, Sp. pl['a]ntano, pl['a]tano; prob. same word as plane tree.] 1. (Bot.) A treelike perennial herb (Musa paradisiaca) of tropical regions, bearing immense leaves and large clusters of the fruits called plantains. See Musa.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(plantains) 1. A plantain is a type of green banana which can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable. N-VAR 2. A plantain is a wild plant with broad leaves and a head of tiny green flowers on a long stem. N-VAR