betel

or be·tel pepper

[ beet-l ]

noun

1. an East Indian pepper plant, Piper betle, the leaves of which are chewed with other ingredients.

betel

/ ˈbiːtəl /

noun

1. an Asian piperaceous climbing plant, Piper betle , the leaves of which are chewed, with the betel nut, by the peoples of SE Asia

Word History and Origins

Origin of betel¹

1545–55; < Portuguese bétele, bétere < Malayalam viṟṟila or Tamil veṟṟilai

Word History and Origins

Origin of betel¹

C16: from Portuguese, from Malayalam vettila

Example Sentences

She said she hopes to produce more drag performances in Taiwan that highlight the island’s unique characteristics, such as temple fairs, night markets and betel nut girls, who dress up to sell the chewy fruit stimulant at roadside stalls.

From Los Angeles Times

"Sometimes we get cases where dry fruits or betel nuts have gone into people's lungs, but most such cases involve young children or elderly people above 80. A woman patient in her 30s is an exception."

From BBC

The water is poured in gourds and placed alongside five betel nuts and five betel leaves — four for the rivers and one for the sacred forest.

From Seattle Times

And a cheesecake tinged with the flavour of betel leaves nods to outside influence.

From BBC

Paan, a betel nut leaf with slaked lime, rose petal jam and mouth fresheners like cardamom and cloves, has fascinated South Asians for centuries.

From BBC