plantain

¹

[ plan-tin, -tn ]

noun

1. a tropical plant, Musa paradisiaca, of the banana family, resembling the banana.
2. its fruit, eaten cooked as a staple food in tropical regions.

plantain

²

[ plan-tin, -tn ]

noun

1. any plant of the genus Plantago, especially P. major, a weed with large, spreading leaves close to the ground and long, slender spikes of small flowers.

plantain

¹

/ ˈplæntɪn /

noun

1. a large tropical musaceous plant, Musa paradisiaca
2. the green-skinned banana-like fruit of this plant, eaten as a staple food in many tropical regions

plantain

²

/ ˈplæntɪn /

noun

1. any of various N temperate plants of the genus Plantago, esp P. major ( great plantain ), which has a rosette of broad leaves and a slender spike of small greenish flowers: family Plantaginaceae See also ribwort

Word History and Origins

Origin of plantain¹

1545–55; earlier pla ( n ) tan < Spanish plá ( n ) tano plantain, also plane tree < Medieval Latin pla ( n ) tanus, Latin platanus plane ³

Origin of plantain²

1350–1400; Middle English plauntein < Old French plantein < Latin plantāgin- (stem of plantāgō ), derivative of planta sole of the foot, literally, something flat and spread out, like the broad leaf of the plantain; akin to Greek platýs flat ¹; platy-

Word History and Origins

Origin of plantain¹

C16: from Spanish platano plantain, plane tree

Origin of plantain²

C14 plauntein, from Old French plantein, from Latin plantāgō, from planta sole of the foot

Example Sentences

The US island territory's red, white and blue flag adorns homes and businesses, and the sounds of salsa and reggaetón boom from passing cars and restaurants selling fried plantains and spit-roasted pork.

From BBC

The 11 ingredients in the book — beans, calabaza, cassava, chayote, coconut, cornmeal, okra, plantains, rice, salted cod and scotch bonnet peppers — are all inherently Caribbean ingredients.

From Salon

She slings a huge bunch of the fruit on her back and begins the walk home from her chaco - the patch of land where she grows cassava, corn, plantains and rice.

From BBC

At its center, a substantial orb of fufu sits, a pale gold plantain mash formed into a plump dumpling.

From Seattle Times

Cene said he and his family are living off their remaining rice, beans, sardines and plantains, along with a handful of yams and carrots.

From Seattle Times