plantain

plan·tain ¹  (plntn)

n.

Any of various plants of the genus Plantago that produce dense spikes of small greenish flowers, especially either of two Eurasian weeds, P. major or P. lanceolata. Also called ribwort.

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[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin plantg, plantgin-, from planta, sole of the foot (from its broad leaves); see plat- in Indo-European roots.]

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plan·tain ²  (plntn)

n.

1. A large, tropical, treelike herb (Musa paradisiaca) of southeast Asia, resembling the banana and bearing similar fruit.

2. The fruit of this plant, used as a staple food in tropical regions.

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[Spanish plátano, plántano, plane tree, plantain, from Latin platanus; see plane⁴.]

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plantain¹

n

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) 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

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

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plantain²

n

1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) a large tropical musaceous plant, Musa paradisiaca

2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) the green-skinned banana-like fruit of this plant, eaten as a staple food in many tropical regions

[from Spanish platano plantain, plane tree]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	plantain - 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 herb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests genus Plantago, Plantago - type genus of the family Plantaginaceae; large cosmopolitan genus of mostly small herbs English plantain, narrow-leaved plantain, Plantago lanceolata, ribgrass, ribwort, ripple-grass, buckthorn - an Old World plantain with long narrow ribbed leaves widely established in temperate regions cart-track plant, common plantain, Plantago major, white-man's foot, whiteman's foot, broad-leaved plantain - common European perennial naturalized worldwide; a troublesome weed Plantago media, hoary plantain - widely distributed Old World perennial naturalized in North America having finely hairy leaves and inconspicuous white fragrant flowers fleawort, Plantago psyllium, psyllium, Spanish psyllium - plantain of Mediterranean regions whose seeds swell and become gelatinous when moist and are used as a mild laxative broad-leaved plantain, Plantago rugelii, rugel's plantain - North American plantain having reddish leafstalks and broad leaves hoary plantain, Plantago virginica - North American annual or biennial with long soft hairs on the leaves
	2.	plantain - a banana tree bearing hanging clusters of edible angular greenish starchy fruits; tropics and subtropics Musa paradisiaca, plantain tree plantain - starchy banana-like fruit; eaten (always cooked) as a staple vegetable throughout the tropics banana, banana tree - any of several tropical and subtropical treelike herbs of the genus Musa having a terminal crown of large entire leaves and usually bearing hanging clusters of elongated fruits
	3.	plantain - starchy banana-like fruit; eaten (always cooked) as a staple vegetable throughout the tropics veg, vegetable, veggie - edible seeds or roots or stems or leaves or bulbs or tubers or nonsweet fruits of any of numerous herbaceous plant Musa paradisiaca, plantain tree, plantain - a banana tree bearing hanging clusters of edible angular greenish starchy fruits; tropics and subtropics

Translations

plantain [ˈplæntɪn] N → llantén m, plátano m (LAm)

plantain

n

(Bot) → Plantainbanane f

(= weed) → Wegerich m