palmetto

noun

pal·​met·​to pal-ˈme-(ˌ)tō How to pronounce palmetto (audio)
 also  pä-,
päl-,
pȯ-,
pȯl-
plural palmettos or palmettoes
1
: any of several usually low-growing fan-leaved palms
especially : cabbage palmetto
2
: strips of the leaf blade of a palmetto used in weaving

Illustration of palmetto

Illustration of palmetto
  • palmetto 1

Examples of palmetto in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Bundles of palmetto fell off into tea-colored water. Michael Adno, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2024 At the start, which takes place around the 2016 presidential election, the strait-laced protagonist appears to be on stable ground with a job as a security guard, a car, an apartment and his heavily memorized elevator pitch for a million-dollar dream of owning a saw palmetto farm. Jason Asenap, Variety, 16 Aug. 2023 Florida state flag The seal represents the state’s environmental features, such as sunshine, palmetto trees, lakes and rivers. Olivia Munson, The Courier-Journal, 5 Jan. 2024 Recent controversies over its design have centered around standardizing the palmetto and crescent design, not its Confederate-era birth. Gillian Brockell, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2023 Craig has started his saw palmetto farm with Jillian, only to see the first crop threatened by another invasive swamp thing, the giant African land snail. James Poniewozik, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2023 Other popular hair-growth ingredients include saw palmetto, ashwagandha, and rosemary oil, adds Dr. Green. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 15 Sep. 2023 Harvested from the core of a variety of palm trees like coconut, peach palm, and palmetto, hearts of palm are widely available and relatively inexpensive. Antara Sinha, Bon Appétit, 28 Aug. 2023 The staff stocks honeys from all over the country, including star thistle from Michigan and palmetto from Florida. Eliza McGraw, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'palmetto.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

modification of Spanish palmito, from palma palm, from Latin

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of palmetto was in 1615

Dictionary Entries Near palmetto

Cite this Entry

“Palmetto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palmetto. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

palmetto

noun
pal·​met·​to pal-ˈmet-ō How to pronounce palmetto (audio)
plural palmettos or palmettoes
: any of several usually low-growing palms with fan-shaped leaves
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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