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plantain1 definition

plan·tain (plan′tin)

noun

any of a genus (Plantago) of plants of the plantain family, usually with rosettes of basal leaves and spikes of tiny, greenish flowers, including many troublesome weeds

Etymology: OFr < L plantago < planta, sole of the foot (see plant): from the shape of the leaves

adjective

designating a family (Plantaginaceae, order Plantaginales) of dicotyledonous plants
plantain2 definition

plan·tain (plan′tin)

noun

  1. a hybrid banana plant (Musa × paradisiaca) that is widely cultivated in the Western Hemisphere
  2. the large, firm, curved fruit of this plant: in tropical areas, it is usually cooked while green, before the starch has converted into sugar

Etymology: altered (prob. infl. by plantain) < Sp plátano, banana tree, lit., plane tree (< L platanus: see plane), prob. misused for native name (as in Carib balatana)

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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