PALMETTO

palmetto

(noun) any of several low-growing palms with fan-shaped leaves

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

palmetto (plural palmettos or palmettoes)

Any member of either of two closely related genera of New World palms, of the family Arecaceae

Serenoa or its sole species Serenoa repens, the saw palmetto, which has medicinal uses;

Sabal, represented by about 15 species, some known commonly as palmettos, others as fan palms.

A hat made of palmetto leaves.

A native or resident of the US state of South Carolina.

Coordinate terms

• (South Carolina native or resident): palmetta (feminine)

Anagrams

• metaplot, pot metal

Source: Wiktionary

Pal*met"to, n. Etym: [Dim. of palm the tree: cf. Sp. palmito.] (Bot.)

Definition: A name given to palms of several genera and species growing in the West Indies and the Southern United States. In the United States, the name is applied especially to the Chamærops, or Sabal, Palmetto, the cabbage tree of Florida and the Carolinas. See Cabbage tree, under Cabbage.

Royal palmetto, the West Indian Sabal umbraculifera, the trunk of which, when hollowed, is used for water pipes, etc. The leaves are used for thatching, and for making hats, ropes, etc.

– Saw palmetto, Sabal serrulata, a native of Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. The nearly impassable jungle which it forms is called palmetto scrub.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition