nipa

[ nee-puh ]

/ ˈni pə /

noun

a palm, Nypa fruticans, of India, the Philippines, etc., whose foliage is used for thatching, basketry, etc.

Nearby words

nip, nip and tuck, nip curn, nip in the bud, nip-up, nipa, nipigon, nipigon, lake, nipissing, nipmuck, nipper

Origin of nipa

1580–90; < New Latin < Malay nipah

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nipa

Nipa palms line the banks in places, and occasionally occupy the swamp for some distance on either side of the stream.
The Solomon Islands and Their Natives|H. B. (Henry Brougham) Guppy
Nipa huts and bamboo cottages were numerous, but the inmates kept themselves well hidden as the little army passed by.
The Campaign of the Jungle|Edward Stratemeyer
Usually he was in his nipa hut in the coconuts, silent and alone.
Caybigan|James Hopper
To the front beyond the nipa houses and their palm-fringed gardens, lay unseen the parallel, intrenched lines of the Insurgents.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck

Alcohol is distilled both from sugar and from the juice of the nipa-palm (Nipa fructicans).
The Inhabitants of the Philippines|Frederic H. Sawyer

British Dictionary definitions for nipa

nipa

/ (ˈniːpə, ˈnaɪ-) /

noun

a palm tree, Nipa fruticans, of S and SE Asia, having feathery leaves, used for thatching, and edible fruit

the fruit or thatch obtained from this tree

the sap of this tree, used to make a liquor

Word Origin for nipa

C16: from Malay nīpah

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012