Plantain (Noun)
Meaning 1
Starchy banana-like fruit; eaten (always cooked) as a staple vegetable throughout the tropics.
Classification
Nouns denoting foods and drinks.
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
A banana tree bearing hanging clusters of edible angular greenish starchy fruits; tropics and subtropics.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 3
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.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- The common plantain is a weed that grows in many parts of the world and has been used for centuries in herbal medicine.
- Plantain seeds contain mucilage, a substance that can be used to soothe irritated tissues and protect them from infection.
- The plantain that grows in my front yard has large, elliptical leaves and produces small seeds that are viable for only a short time.
- According to legend, the plantain was introduced to North America by European colonizers, who brought the seeds with them on ships.
- The plantain plant has a long history of use in folk medicine, particularly in treating digestive problems and skin conditions.