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

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

From The Wall Street Journal

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

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

From Seattle Times