rattan
Americannoun
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Also called rattan palm. any of various climbing palms of the genus Calamus or allied genera.
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the tough stems of such palms, used for wickerwork, canes, etc.
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a stick or switch of this material.
noun
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any of the climbing palms of the genus Calamus and related genera, having tough stems used for wickerwork and canes
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the stems of such plants collectively
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a stick made from one of these stems
Etymology
Origin of rattan
First recorded in 1600–10; by uncertain mediation from Malay rōtan, alleged to derive from rout “scrape off, trim” with -an nominalizing suffix
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.
When they handed the property over, it boasted emerald green walls, a rattan monkey chandelier, and banana-leaf wallpaper.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Ikea embraced the online buzz about Alexander Skarsgård’s upcoming role in “Wicker” to help advertise a rattan bench.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Atop a wooden mezzanine, a rattan back desk sits among chestnut-colored dining chairs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2025
Coming in hot at No. 2 in the worst lewks pageant is the neckpiece worn by Nicole Ari Parker’s Lisa Todd Wexley, a chain of rattan spheres resembling a child’s art project.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025
Ignoring the spines of an overgrown rattan, she wedged herself up against a rotting log shrouded with moss and air plants.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
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.
