Dictionary

betel en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈbiːtəl/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese bétele, from Malayalam വെറ്റില (veṟṟila) or Tamil வெற்றிலை (veṟṟilai).

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) Either of two (parts of) plants often used in combination
   • Her face was flushed with the tingling effect of betel leaves. 1958, R. K. Narayan, The Guide, Penguin, published 1988, page 194:
2. (uncountable, usually) Either of two (parts of) plants often used in combination: ▸ An evergreen Indian creeping shrub, Piper betle, whose dried leaves are chewed with betel nut: the betel pepper.
3. (uncountable, usually) Either of two (parts of) plants often used in combination: ▸ The betel palm, Areca catechu, and in particular its seed, the areca nut or betel nut.
4. (uncountable, usually) A quid (chewing preparation) containing these and other plant materials; paan.
   • He went to the rail to spit out a scarlet mouthful of betel […] 1934, George Orwell, chapter 1, in Burmese Days:
   • Within the range of his powers, he sends her, secretly, […] cosmetics such as red lac, red arsenic, yellow arsenic, red mercury sulphide, and black collyrium; sandalwood paste and saffron; and, in course of time, areca nuts and betel leaves for betel. 2002, Vātsyāyana, translated by Wendy Doniger and Sudhir Kakar, Kama Sutra, Oxford University Press, 3.3.16, pp. 83-84:
   • In a small Bamboo case, prettily carved and ornamented, the Dyak carries his sirih and lime for betel chewing, and his little long-bladed knife has a Bamboo sheath. 1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume I, London: Macmillan and Co., page 126:

Forms

Deriveds

betel nut · betel seller · betel bag · betel palm · betel pepper · betelseller · betel leaf · wild betel · betelchewing

Relateds

paan · areca

Translations (53)

ca bètel (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · blt ꪝꪴ (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · ms pinang (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · bho सुपारी (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · tpi daka (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · hi पान (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · fi betelpippuri (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · tvo lele (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · ivv mamahen (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · nod ᨻᩖᩪ (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · ta வெற்றிலை பாக்கு (quid, chewing preparation) · de Betelnuss (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · lo ພູ (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · nl betel (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · pl betel (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · hi सुपारी (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · pl pieprz żuwny (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · nod พลู (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · pam bulung samat (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · vi trầu (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · ivv samoh (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · khb ᦗᦴ (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · tpi bata (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · pau buuch (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · cmn 蔞葉 /蒌叶 (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · pam luyus (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · pl pieprz betelowy (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · mtq tlù (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · de Betelpfeffer (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · fi paan (quid, chewing preparation) · ta தாம்பூலம் (quid, chewing preparation) · hu bétel (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · km ម្លូ (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · ru бете́ль (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · my ကွမ်းရွက်ပင် (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · fi betelpalmu (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · fr bétel (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · pt bétele (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · de Betel (quid, chewing preparation) · fr bétel (quid, chewing preparation) · ur پان (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · ta வெற்றிலை (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · ro betel (quid, chewing preparation) · es betel (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · tft lele (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · id sirih (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · xnb ʼaviki (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · ms sirih (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · shn ပူႉ (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · cmn 檳榔 /槟榔 (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · th พลู (either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut) · fi betel (quid, chewing preparation) · pl betel (quid, chewing preparation)