rattan
UK /ɹəˈtan/ · US /ɹəˈtæn/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms rattans rattaning rattaned ratan
- noun Any of several species of climbing palm of the genus Calamus.
- noun (uncountable) The plant used as a material for making furniture, baskets etc.
- noun (by extension) A cane made from this material.
- verb (transitive) To beat with a rattan cane.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Malay rotan.
Webster’s 1913
- noun One of the long slender flexible stems of several species of palms of the genus Calamus, mostly East Indian, though some are African and Australian. They are exceedingly tough, and are used for walking sticks, wickerwork, chairs and seats of chairs, cords and cordage, and many other purposes.
Etymology [Malay rotan.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “rattan”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details