plantain

¹ American  

[plan-tin, -tn] / ˈplæn tɪn, -tn /

noun

1. a tropical plant, Musa paradisiaca, of the banana family, resembling the banana.

2. its fruit, eaten cooked as a staple food in tropical regions.

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plantain ² American  

[plan-tin, -tn] / ˈplæn tɪn, -tn /

noun

1. any plant of the genus Plantago, especially P. major, a weed with large, spreading leaves close to the ground and long, slender spikes of small flowers.

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plantain ¹ British  

/ ˈplæntɪn /

noun

1. a large tropical musaceous plant, Musa paradisiaca

2. the green-skinned banana-like fruit of this plant, eaten as a staple food in many tropical regions

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plantain ² British  

/ ˈplæntɪn /

noun

1. any of various N temperate plants of the genus Plantago, esp P. major ( great plantain ), which has a rosette of broad leaves and a slender spike of small greenish flowers: family Plantaginaceae See also ribwort

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Etymology

Origin of plantain¹

1545–55; earlier pla ( n ) tan < Spanish plá ( n ) tano plantain, also plane tree < Medieval Latin pla ( n ) tanus, Latin platanus plane ³

Origin of plantain²

1350–1400; Middle English plauntein < Old French plantein < Latin plantāgin- (stem of plantāgō ), derivative of planta sole of the foot, literally, something flat and spread out, like the broad leaf of the plantain; akin to Greek platýs flat ¹; see platy-

Explanation

A plantain is a fruit that resembles a banana and is almost always cooked. Fried plantains are delicious. Plantains are very starchy, green, and not as sweet as bananas. The word plantain can describe a specific, weedy plant, but it's also used more loosely for any bananas or banana-type fruits that are cooked rather than eaten raw. Plantains are made into sweet drinks, chips, snacks, soups, dumplings, and many more dishes. Plantain comes from the Spanish plátano, "banana."

Example Sentences

Someone instructs you to tear off pieces and dip them in the accompanying guava and plantain chutneys, silky chickpea curry and punchy pepper jelly, pooled around a peninsula of tangy cultured butter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

The exemptions covered other Ghanaian agricultural products including cashew nuts, avocados, bananas, mangoes, plantain, pineapples, coconuts, ginger and peppers, he said.

From Barron's • Nov. 24, 2025

It was usually served with fried plantain, the spicy black pepper sauce "shito", boiled eggs, and sometimes even spaghetti or fried fish.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2025

The din of street vendors selling fried plantain or charcoal, groups of bickering children in school uniforms or harried workers running after public vans during rush hour give it a dizzying atmosphere.

From New York Times • Feb. 10, 2024

Gloria slit a plantain from tip to tip, peeled the casing back, and cut diagonal slices which she dipped in the salted water.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago