betel

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun Asian pepper plant whose dried leaves are chewed with betel nut (seed of the betel palm) by southeast Asians

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

[20] Spices wrapped in betel leaf. — My Reminiscences, Rabindranath Tagore
Her lips were thin and as red as betel. — Peter the Brazen: A Mystery Story of Modern China, George F. (George Frank) Worts
An oðer alter abram ſeli Made bi-twen betel and ai. — The Story of Genesis and Exodus: An Early English Song, about 1250 A.D., Unknown

betel pepper, Piper betel

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