noun
plantain
PLAN-tihn
noun
1
A starchy, banana-like fruit that is usually cooked before eating, similar to a potato in culinary use.
"Fried plantain is a common side dish across West Africa and the Caribbean."
2
A common broad-leaved weed of the genus Plantago, unrelated to the banana-family plantain.
"Plantain leaves are sometimes used in folk remedies for insect bites."
How to Use Plantain
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a cooking banana eaten savory, or an unrelated flat-leaved roadside weed.
Common mistake
The starchy fruit and the weed are two completely different plants that just share a name in English — don't confuse them.
Common pairings
fried plantain
ripe plantain
plantain chips
Word Forms
plantains plural, plantains plural
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Fried _____ is a common side dish across West Africa and the Caribbean.
Etymology
From Latin plantago, related to planta, "sole of the foot," because of the plant's broad, flat leaves. The banana-like fruit is a separate, unrelated plant that happens to share the English name via Spanish.