plátano

See also: platano, plątano, and płatano

Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin platanus, from Ancient Greek πλάτανος (plátanos).

Noun

plátano m (plural plátanos)

1. banana, plantain
2. banana plant

Synonyms

• (banana): banana
• (banana plant): bananeira, plataneiro

Related terms

• plataneiro

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Portuguese

plátano

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin platanus, from Ancient Greek πλάτανος (plátanos).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpla.ta.nu/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpla.ta.nu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpla.ta.no/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈpla.tɐ.nu/

• Hyphenation: plá‧ta‧no

Noun

plátano m (plural plátanos)

1. plane (any tree of the genus Platanus)

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Spanish

Common names for banana is the Spanish-speaking world

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈplatano/ [ˈpla.t̪a.no]

Etymology 1

From one of the South American or Cariban languages, probably influenced by the tree name descended from Latin platanus (“plane tree”), from Ancient Greek πλάτανος (plátanos).

Noun

plátano m (plural plátanos)

1. (Peru, Chile, Mexico, Spain) banana (fruit)

   Synonyms: banana, guineo, banano, cambur

2. plantain (the plant and fruit related to banana, not the Plantago genus)

   Synonyms: llantén, plátano macho

Usage notes

• Though all are botanically the same, often banana and guineo are used specifically for sweet varieties eaten as fruit, whereas plátano is reserved for the starchy varieties (plantains) cooked and eaten more like a vegetable.
• In Mexico however, plátano is used for both, but plantains are qualified as plátano macho. There are also many named varieties, such as the sweet banana plátano manzana (“apple banana”), the plátano dominico, the plátano tabasco, and the plantain called plátano burro.
• In Spain, plátano refers to both banana and plantain, so banana may refer to banana when differentiating from plantain.

Derived terms

• aplatanar
• plátano guineo
• plátano macho
• plátano malayo

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin platanus, from Ancient Greek πλάτανος (plátanos).

Noun

plátano m (plural plátanos)

1. (Spain, botany) sycamore, plane (a tree belonging to the genus Platanus)

Further reading

• “plátano”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014