8 June 2016
plantain(1)
[plan-tin, -tn]
noun
1. a tropical plant, Musa paradisiaca, of the banana family, resembling the banana.
2. its fruit, eaten cooked as a staple food in tropical regions.
Origin of plantain(1)
Spanish, Latin, Medieval Latin
1545-1555; earlier pla (n) tan < Spanish plá (n) tano plantain, also plane tree < Medieval Latin pla (n) tanus, Latin platanus plane3
plantain(2)
[plan-tin, -tn]
Spell Syllables
noun
1. any plant of the genus Plantago, especially P. major, a weed with large, spreading leaves close to the ground and long, slender spikes of small flowers.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English plauntein < Old French plantein < Latin plantāgin- (stem of plantāgō), derivative of planta sole of the foot, literally, something flat and spread out, like the broad leaf of the plantain; akin to Greek platýs flat1; see platy-
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for plantain
Contemporary Examples
It is a simple Puerto Rican cow’s milk cheese called queso de hoja and it is wrapped in a plantain leaf.
A Little Latin Flavor
Sarah Whitman-Salkin
October 20, 2009
Historical Examples
He sees the vision of hell, falls down on the ground like a plantain tree blown by a tempest, and faints.
Tales from the Hindu Dramatists
R. N. Dutta
Then one of the soldiers bade me eat my plantain ; and I thought I must do as I was bid.
The Hour and the Man
Harriet Martineau
Anagram
plain tan
Today’s quote
Life etches itself onto our faces as we grow older, showing our violence, excesses or kindnesses.
― Rembrandt Van Rijn
On this day
8 June 1921 – birth of Ivan Southall AM, DFC, Australian writer of young-adult fiction and non-fiction. Books include ‘Ash Road’, ‘Let the Balloon Go’, ‘Hill’s End’, ‘Fly West’ and ‘Josh. Died 15 November 2008.
8 June 1967 – During the Six Day War, Israel launched a naval and air assault on the USS Liberty as it sits in international waters near Egypt’s Gaza Strip. The attack left 34 US crewmen dead and injured 171 others. Israel claimed the attack was an accident, while some witnesses claimed it was deliberate.