plantain
/'plæntin/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A starchy, banana-like fruit: A type of fruit that resembles a banana but is typically larger, starchier, and less sweet, usually eaten cooked as a vegetable in tropical and subtropical regions.
- The plant bearing this fruit: A type of banana tree (genus Musa) that produces these starchy, angular fruits.
- A common weed: Any of numerous small, low-growing plants of the genus Plantago, often found by roadsides or in yards, with broad leaves and small flower spikes.
Examples of Usage
- Noun (Fruit):
- Fried plantain is a popular side dish in many Caribbean countries.
- The recipe calls for two ripe plantains, which should be peeled and sliced.
- Noun (Plant):
- The plantain tree in our garden finally bore fruit this year.
- Noun (Weed):
- Broadleaf plantain is a common weed in lawns across North America.
Advanced Usage
- "Plantain lily": This is a common name for plants in the genus , which are ornamental garden plants. This usage is distinct from the primary definitions of "plantain."
- The shade garden was filled with various cultivars of plantain lily.
Variants and Related Words
- Plantain-eater (n): A type of large African bird (genus ) that feeds on fruit.
- Plantain squirrel (n): A species of squirrel () found in Southeast Asia.
Synonyms
- Cooking banana: A synonym for the starchy fruit.
- Musa paradisiaca: The scientific name for one type of plantain plant.
- Broadleaf plantain, Common plantain: Terms for the weedy plant ().
Related Phrases
- Plantain chip: A thin slice of plantain that is fried or baked until crisp.
- She snacked on a bag of salty plantain chips.
- Plantain flour: A flour made from dried, ground plantains, used in cooking and baking.
- Plantain flour is a gluten-free alternative in some recipes.
Noun
- starchy banana-like fruit; eaten (always cooked) as a staple vegetable throughout the tropics
- a banana tree bearing hanging clusters of edible angular greenish starchy fruits; tropics and subtropics
- 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