betel
/ˈbiːtəl/ noun
Also a form of beetle
Forms betels beetel beetle
- noun Either of two (parts of) plants often used in combination:
- noun An evergreen Indian creeping shrub, Piper betle, whose dried leaves are chewed with betel nut: the betel pepper.
- noun The betel palm, Areca catechu, and in particular its seed, the areca nut or betel nut.
- noun A quid (chewing preparation) containing these and other plant materials; paan.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Portuguese bétele, from Malayalam വെറ്റില (veṟṟila) or Tamil வெற்றிலை (veṟṟilai).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A species of pepper (Piper betle), the leaves of which are chewed, with the areca or betel nut and a little shell lime, by the inhabitants of the East Indies. I is a woody climber with ovate manynerved leaves.
Etymology [Pg., fr. Tamil vettilei, prop. meaning, a mere leaf.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “betel”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details