plant

[ plant, plahnt ]

/ plænt, plɑnt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR plant ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any member of the kingdom Plantae, comprising multicellular organisms that typically produce their own food from inorganic matter by the process of photosynthesis and that have more or less rigid cell walls containing cellulose, including vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, and hornworts: some classification schemes may include fungi, algae, bacteria, blue-green algae, and certain single-celled eukaryotes that have plantlike qualities, as rigid cell walls or photosynthesis.

an herb or other small vegetable growth, in contrast with a tree or a shrub.

a seedling or a growing slip, especially one ready for transplanting.

the equipment, including the fixtures, machinery, tools, etc., and often the buildings, necessary to carry on any industrial business: a manufacturing plant.

the complete equipment or apparatus for a particular mechanical process or operation: the heating plant for a home.

the buildings, equipment, etc., of an institution: the sprawling plant of the university.

Slang. something intended to trap, decoy, or lure, as criminals.

Slang. a scheme to trap, trick, swindle, or defraud.

a person, placed in an audience, whose rehearsed or prepared reactions, comments, etc., appear spontaneous to the rest of the audience.

a person placed secretly in a group or organization, as by a foreign government, to obtain internal or secret information, stir up discontent, etc.

Theater. a line of dialogue, or a character, action, etc., introducing an idea or theme that will be further developed at a later point in the play: Afterward we remembered the suicide plant in the second act.

verb (used with object)

to put or set in the ground for growth, as seeds, young trees, etc.

to furnish or stock (land) with plants: to plant a section with corn.

to establish or implant (ideas, principles, doctrines, etc.): to plant a love for learning in growing children.

to introduce (a breed of animals) into a country.

to deposit (young fish, or spawn) in a river, lake, etc.

to bed (oysters).

to insert or set firmly in or on the ground or some other body or surface: to plant posts along a road.

Theater. to insert or place (an idea, person, or thing) in a play.

to place; put.

to place with great force, firmness, or determination: He planted himself in the doorway as if daring us to try to enter. He planted a big kiss on his son's cheek.

to station; post: to plant a police officer on every corner.

to locate; situate: Branch stores are planted all over.

to establish (a colony, city, etc.); found.

to settle (persons), as in a colony.

to say or place (something) in order to obtain a desired result, especially one that will seem spontaneous: The police planted the story in the newspaper in order to trap the thief.

Carpentry. to nail, glue, or otherwise attach (a molding or the like) to a surface.

to place (a person) secretly in a group to function as a spy or to promote discord.

Slang. to hide or conceal, as stolen goods.

Nearby words

planometer, planosol, planospore, planovalgus, plansheer, plant, plant agreement, plant bug, plant city, plant food, plant hormone

Origin of plant

before 900; (noun) Middle English plaunte; in part continuing Old English plante sapling, young plant (< Latin planta); in part (< Old French plante) < Latin planta a shoot, sprig, scion (for planting), plant; (v.) Middle English plaunten; in part continuing Old English plantian (< Latin plantāre); in part (< Old French planter) < Latin plantāre to plant

Related forms

plant·a·ble, adjectiveplant·less, adjectiveplant·like, adjectivemis·plant, verb (used with object)

o·ver·plant, verb (used with object)pre·plant, verb (used with object)self-plant·ed, adjectivesub·plant, nounun·der·plant, verb (used with object)un·plant·a·ble, adjectiveun·plant·ed, adjectivewell-plant·ed, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for plant

They learn about science, plant bulbs and watch them grow, and identify birds who visit the birdhouses.
Magical Gardens for the Blind, Deaf, and Disabled|Elizabeth Picciuto|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Chinese government banned qat earlier this year, and classified the plant as a dangerous narcotic.
Chinese Getting Hooked on the Middle East's Favorite Drug|Brendon Hong|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Borlaug studied forestry, and then obtained a Ph.D. in plant pathology.
Growth Stocks|The Daily Beast|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now, here was a key moment: When she came to America in 2006, where was Hirsi Ali going to plant her flag?
Bill Maher 1, Ben Affleck 0|Michael Tomasky|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Since rat root comes from a plant that grows on the edge of the lake there are concerns that the plant is carrying toxins.
Our Trip to The Climate War's Ground Zero|Darren Aronofsky|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I think we could have for dissemination circulars which would stimulate people to plant nut trees more widely than at present.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the|Various
The blossoms of this plant are bright red, usually more or less tinged with yellow.
Flowers of Mountain and Plain|Edith S. Clements
It is, however, a fact that if a plant is removed from natural conditions into cultivation, a well-marked variation occurs.
Darwin and Modern Science|A.C. Seward and Others
Sachs had shown that the starch passes down to other parts of the plant in solution as glucose.
Disease in Plants|H. Marshall Ward
Nearly three thousand years ago, the Phœnicians began to plant colonies in the South of Spain.
Vine and Olive; Or Young America in Spain and Portugal|Oliver Optic

British Dictionary definitions for plant (1 of 2)

plant

/ (plɑːnt) /

noun

any living organism that typically synthesizes its food from inorganic substances, possesses cellulose cell walls, responds slowly and often permanently to a stimulus, lacks specialized sense organs and nervous system, and has no powers of locomotion

such an organism that is green, terrestrial, and smaller than a shrub or tree; a herb

a cutting, seedling, or similar structure, esp when ready for transplantation

informal a thing positioned secretly for discovery by another, esp in order to incriminate an innocent person

billiards snooker a position in which the cue ball can be made to strike an intermediate which then pockets another ball

verb (tr)

(often foll by out) to set (seeds, crops, etc) into (ground) to grow

to place firmly in position

to establish; found

to implant in the mind

slang to deliver (a blow)

informal to position or hide, esp in order to deceive or observe

to place (young fish, oysters, spawn, etc) in (a lake, river, etc) in order to stock the water

Word Origin for plant

Old English, from Latin planta a shoot, cutting

British Dictionary definitions for plant (2 of 2)

plant

/ (plɑːnt) /

noun

the land, buildings, and equipment used in carrying on an industrial, business, or other undertaking or service
(as modifier)plant costs

a factory or workshop

mobile mechanical equipment for construction, road-making, etc

Word Origin for plant

C20: special use of plant 1

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

Science definitions for plant

plant

[ plănt ]

Any of a wide variety of multicellular eukaryotic organisms, belonging to the kingdom Plantae and including the bryophytes and vascular plants. Plant cells have cell walls made of cellulose. Except for a few specialized symbionts, plants have chlorophyll and manufacture their own food through photosynthesis. Most plants grow in a fixed location and reproduce sexually, showing an alternation of generations between a diploid stage (with each cell having two sets of chromosomes) and haploid stage (with each cell having one set of chromosomes) in their life cycle. The first fossil plants date from the Silurian period. Formerly the algae, slime molds, dinoflagellates, and fungi, among other groups, were classified as plants, but now these are considered to belong to other kingdoms. See Table at taxonomy.

plant

noun

verb (used with object)

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Origin of plant

Examples from the Web for plant

British Dictionary definitions for plant (1 of 2)

plant

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for plant

British Dictionary definitions for plant (2 of 2)

plant

noun

Word Origin for plant

Science definitions for plant

plant