plantain

1 of 2

noun (1)

plan·​tain ˈplan-tᵊn How to pronounce plantain (audio)
: any of a genus (Plantago of the family Plantaginaceae, the plantain family) of herbs with basal rosettes of usually lanceolate or elliptical leaves and spikes of minute greenish flowers

plantain

2 of 2

noun (2)

plan·​tain plan-ˈtān How to pronounce plantain (audio)
ˈplan-ˌtān,
ˈplan-tᵊn
1
: the angular greenish starchy fruit of the plantain that is a staple food in the tropics when cooked
2
: a banana plant (Musa paradisiaca)

Examples of plantain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Meanwhile, sides include plantains, beans and ric, and yucca fries ($5.50 to $6.50). Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024 Sauté some plantain, tomatoes, or spinach and fill them into a flaky empanada—no need to spend time making the dough yourself, since the kind from the freezer section works just fine. Ashia Aubourg, SELF, 26 Jan. 2024 Read on below: Sweet plantains are the star of this chorizo and black bean stew How to pick the best ingredients for stellar vegan baking Honey brings more than sweetness to cocktails. Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024 Don’t miss the coconut plantain bread pudding with roasted chili pineapple and rum cream sauce. Anna Haines, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Sweet plantains dazzle alongside hearty black bean puree. The Indianapolis Star, 15 Feb. 2024 How about winter squash, plantains, yams or carrots? Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024 For restaurant week, sample several of Tio G’s offerings with a Dominican platter combining seasoned rice, sweet plantains and your choice of meat. Amanda Yeager, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2024 The freebie-with-purchase is a catering size order — sized to serve up to 10 people — and includes plantain chips, tortilla chips, guacamole and Tocaya’s three house salsas: roasted tomato, tomatillo and pico de gallo. Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plantain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin plantagin-, plantago, from planta sole of the foot; from its broad leaves — more at place

Noun (2)

Spanish plántano, plátano plane tree, banana tree, from Medieval Latin plantanus plane tree, alteration of Latin platanus — more at plane entry 4

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of plantain was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near plantain

Cite this Entry

“Plantain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plantain. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

plantain

1 of 2 noun
plan·​tain ˈplant-ᵊn How to pronounce plantain (audio)
: any of several common weeds having a short stem or none at all, leaves with parallel veins, and a long stalk of tiny greenish flowers

plantain

2 of 2 noun
: the large greenish starchy fruit of a kind of banana plant that is eaten cooked and is an important food in the tropics
also : this plant

Medical Definition

plantain

noun
plan·​tain ˈplant-ᵊn How to pronounce plantain (audio)
: any plant of the genus Plantago

More from Merriam-Webster on plantain

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