elephant ear
Americannoun
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Also elephant's-ear any of various plants with very large, sturdy leaves shaped somewhat like an elephant’s ear in shape, especially a plant of the arum family (Aracea), including caladium, malanga, and taro.
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Cooking.
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a large, flat, sugared pastry made from fried dough, somewhat resembling an elephant's ear.
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Etymology
Origin of elephant ear
First recorded in 1865–70 elephant ear for def. 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This beautiful elephant ear wowed the judges with its sturdy burgundy stems and large glossy leaves featuring pink veins and creamy white centers.
From Seattle Times ● May 8, 2024
In another corner of the garden, I excavated a 5-foot-square patch of rich soil and put in a load of elephant ear bulbs, which I had overwintered.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 7, 2021
She promptly got a call from a school administrator, and before the day was out, she had packed some clothes and her elephant ear fish, Dumbo, and moved into quarantine housing.
From New York Times ● May 17, 2021
The restaurant serves really good versions of the grilled pork noodles President Obama shared with Anthony Bourdain in Hanoi; sautéed clams with spongy sliced elephant ear stem; and the coconut-sweetened mini-crepes called bánh khot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2017
From where I stood, the moon bloomed like a giant elephant ear off the side of his head.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
