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plantain

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plantain¹

  • /ˈplæn.tɪn/ UK
  • /-teɪn/ UK
  • /ˈplɑːn.teɪn/ UK
  • /ˈplæn.tɪn/ US
  • /-teɪn/ US
  • /plænˈteɪn/ US
  • /ˈplɑːntɪn/ Caribbean
  • [ˈplaː(n)ʔn̩] Caribbean

Where it comes from

Inherited from Middle English planteyne, planteyn, from Anglo-Norman plainteine et al., Old French plaintain, from Latin plantāgō, from planta (“sole of the foot”), a nasalized form of Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- (“flat; to spread”), because of the broad, flat shape of the plantain leaves.

noun plantains

  1. Any plant of the genus Plantago, with a rosette of sessile leaves about 10 cm (4") long with a narrow part instead of a petiole, and with a spike inflorescence with the flower spacing varying widely among the species. See also psyllium. The roots of Plantain and Pellitory of Spain beaten to powder and put into hollow teeth, takes away the pains of them.

    Similar: waybread, fleawort

plantain²

  • /ˈplæn.tɪn/ UK
  • /-teɪn/ UK
  • /ˈplɑːn.teɪn/ UK
  • /ˈplæn.tɪn/ US
  • /-teɪn/ US
  • /plænˈteɪn/ US
  • /ˈplɑːntɪn/ Caribbean
  • [ˈplaː(n)ʔn̩] Caribbean

Where it comes from

From Spanish plantano (obsolete variant of plátano), from Latin platanus, from Ancient Greek πλάτανος (plátanos).

noun plantains

  1. A plant in the genus Musa, the genus that includes banana, but with lower sugar content than banana.
  2. The fruit of the plant, usually cooked before eating and used like potatoes. We were sitting at the tables in the port, eating an unhurried breakfast of delicious mojarra fish from the swamp and slices of fried green plantain, when my mother resumed the offensive in her personal war.

Translations

Every language

noun small plant

Españolllantén, plantaina, arta, plantaje, quisa
한국어질경이 jilgyeong'i
日本語車前草 ōbako
中文芣苢 fóuyǐ, 車前草 /车前草 chēqiáncǎo, 車前 /车前 chēqián
Portuguêsplantago, tanchagem, tansagem, transagem
Françaisplantain
DeutschWegerich
Italianopiantaggine
Ελληνικάπεντάνευρο pentánevro, αρνόγλωσσο arnóglosso
Românăpătlagină
Русскийподоро́жник podoróžnik
العربيةلِسَان الْحَمَل lisān al-ḥamal, لِسَان الْخَرُوف lisān al-ḵarūf, ذَنَب الْفَأْر ḏanab al-faʔr

noun fruit

Españolplátano macho, plátano
日本語バショウ属 bashō-zoku
中文大蕉 dàjiāo, 粉蕉 fěnjiāo
Portuguêsbanana-da-terra, banana-comprida, banana-pão
Françaisbanane plantain, plantain, banane farine, banane cochon, banane à cuire
DeutschKochbanane, Gemüsebanane, Mehlbanane, Pisangfeige
Русскийпланта́н plantán

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Cite this
MLA

"plantain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/plantain. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

plantain. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/plantain

Chicago

"plantain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/plantain.

BibTeX
@misc{plantain_2026,
  title = {plantain},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/plantain},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}