nipa

[ nee-puh ]

/ ˈni pə /

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noun

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

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Origin of nipa

1580–90; <New Latin <Malay nipah

Words nearby nipa

Niobrara, Niort, Nios, NIOSH, nip, nipa, nip and tuck, nip curn, Nipigon, nip in the bud, Nipissing

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nipa in a sentence

The species does not grow in nipa swamps, though immediately back of them it will be found well established.
Philippine Mats|Hugo H. Miller
Her hat was of woven nipa palm-leaves, intricately fashioned together.
The Argus Pheasant|John Charles Beecham
Koyala led him directly to the clearing and reclined with a sigh of utter weariness in the shade of a stunted nipa palm.
The Argus Pheasant|John Charles Beecham
It was nipa within as well as without, the floor and ceiling being of braided bamboo and the walls of the nipa-palm.
A Woman's Journey through the Philippines|Florence Kimball Russel

On every side buildings crashed down, sending showers of sparks over the inflammable thatched roof of the nipa house.
A Woman's Journey through the Philippines|Florence Kimball Russel

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