betel
[
beet
-l]
/ˈbit l/
noun
1.
an East Indian pepper plant,
Piper betle,
the leaves of which are chewed with other ingredients.
Also,
betel pepper
.
Origin
1545-55;
<
Portuguese
bétele, bétere
<
Malayalam
viṟṟila
or
Tamil
veṟṟilai
Examples from the web for
betel
betel
needs constantly moist soil, but there should not be excessive moisture.
This combination, known as a
betel
quid, has been used for several thousand years.
British Dictionary definitions for
betel
betel
/
ˈbiːt
ə
l
/
noun
1.
an Asian piperaceous climbing plant,
Piper betle
, the leaves of which are chewed, with the betel nut, by the peoples of SE Asia
Word Origin
C16: from Portuguese, from Malayalam
vettila
Word Origin and History for
betel
n.
1550s, probably via Portuguese
betel
, from Malayalam
vettila
, from
veru ila
"simple leaf."