betel

American  

[beet-l] / ˈbit l /

Or betel pepper

noun

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

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betel British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of betel

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

Example Sentences

"There's so much confusion right now," said Mohammad Shafayet Biswas, 46, a banana and betel leaf seller in Gopalganj.

From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026

But betel chew—a mixture of areca nuts, betel leaves and slaked lime—is entirely different from datura.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Before leaving, he spotted a paan vendor selling betel leaves loaded with sweet and spicy fillings.

From Slate • Apr. 5, 2025

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 • Dec. 2, 2023

She had hidden her face with a heart-shaped betel leaf, kept her head bent low until she had circled him seven times.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri