Plantain

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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}.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. The fruit of this plant. It is long and somewhat
        cylindrical, slightly curved, and, when ripe, soft,
        fleshy, and covered with a thick but tender yellowish
        skin. The plantain is a staple article of food in most
        tropical countries, especially when cooked.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Plantain cutter}, or {Plantain eater} (Zool.), any one of
        several large African birds of the genus {Musophaga}, or
        family {Musophagid[ae]}, especially {Musophaga violacea}.
        See {Turaco}. They are allied to the cuckoos.
  
     {Plantain squirrel} (Zool.), a Java squirrel ({Sciurus
        plantani}) which feeds upon plantains.
  
     {Plantain tree} (Bot.), the treelike herb {Musa paradisiaca}.
        See def. 1 (above).
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Plantain \Plan"tain\, n. [F., fr. L. plantago. Cf. {Plant}.]
     (Bot.)
     Any plant of the genus {Plantago}, but especially the
     {Plantago 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.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {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.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  plantain
       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
          tree}, {Musa paradisiaca}]
       3: starchy banana-like fruit; eaten (always cooked) as a staple
          vegetable throughout the tropics