betel

Or be·tel pepper

[beet-l]

noun

1. an East Indian pepper plant, Piper betle, the leaves of which are chewed with other ingredients.

betel

/ ˈbiːtəl /

noun

1. an Asian piperaceous climbing plant, Piper betle , the leaves of which are chewed, with the betel nut, by the peoples of SE Asia

Word History and Origins

Origin of betel¹

1545–55; < Portuguese bétele, bétere < Malayalam viṟṟila or Tamil veṟṟilai

Word History and Origins

Origin of betel¹

C16: from Portuguese, from Malayalam vettila

Example Sentences

The water is poured in gourds and placed alongside five betel nuts and five betel leaves — four for the rivers and one for the sacred forest.

From Seattle Times

And a cheesecake tinged with the flavour of betel leaves nods to outside influence.

From BBC

Paan, a betel nut leaf with slaked lime, rose petal jam and mouth fresheners like cardamom and cloves, has fascinated South Asians for centuries.

From BBC

There's no anxiety that chewing on a betel nut cannot soothe.

From BBC

The corridors smelled of urine, garbage and medical waste, and hospital walls were stained with betel leaf spit.

From Seattle Times