1.
[syn: plantain, plantain tree, Musa paradisiaca]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Plantain \Plan"tain\, n. [Cf. F. plantain-arbre, plantanier, Sp.
pl['a]ntano, pl['a]tano; prob. same word as plane tree.]
1. (Bot.) A treelike perennial herb (Musa paradisiaca) of
tropical regions, bearing immense leaves and large
clusters of the fruits called plantains. See Musa.
[1913 Webster]
2. The fruit of this plant. It is long and somewhat
cylindrical, slightly curved, and, when ripe, soft,
fleshy, and covered with a thick but tender yellowish
skin. The plantain is a staple article of food in most
tropical countries, especially when cooked.
[1913 Webster]
Plantain cutter, or Plantain eater (Zool.), any one of
several large African birds of the genus Musophaga, or
family Musophagid[ae], especially Musophaga violacea.
See Turaco. They are allied to the cuckoos.
Plantain squirrel (Zool.), a Java squirrel (Sciurus
plantani) which feeds upon plantains.
Plantain tree (Bot.), the treelike herb Musa paradisiaca.
See def. 1 (above).
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
plantain tree
n 1: a banana tree bearing hanging clusters of edible angular
greenish starchy fruits; tropics and subtropics [syn:
plantain, plantain tree, Musa paradisiaca]