noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈbiːtəl/
homophone: beetle
homophone: Beatle
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:B EH1 T AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Either of two (parts of) plants often used in combination
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A quid (chewing preparation) containing these and other plant materials; paan.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
Asian pepper plant whose dried leaves are chewed with betel nut (seed of the betel palm) by southeast Asians
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: betel pepper, Piper betel
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: true pepper, pepper vine
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Portuguese bétele, from Malayalam വെറ്റില (veṟṟila) or Tamil வெற்றிலை (veṟṟilai).
Across languages
Translations
53 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bhojpuri:
सुपारी
(supārī)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Burmese:
ကွမ်းရွက်ပင်
(kwam:rwakpang)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Catalan:
bètel
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Chinese Mandarin:
檳榔 /槟榔
(bīnláng)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Chinese Mandarin:
蔞葉 /蒌叶
(lóuyè)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Dutch:
betel
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Finnish:
betelpippuri
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Finnish:
betelpalmu
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
French:
bétel
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
German:
Betelpfeffer
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
German:
Betelnuss
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Hindi:
पान
(pān)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Hindi:
सुपारी
(supārī)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Hungarian:
bétel
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Indonesian:
sirih
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Ivatan:
samoh
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Ivatan:
mamahen
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Kanakanabu:
ʼaviki
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Kapampangan:
luyus
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Kapampangan:
bulung samat
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Khmer:
ម្លូ
(mluu)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Lao:
ພູ
(phū)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Lü:
ᦗᦴ
(puu)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Malay:
sirih
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Malay:
pinang
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Muong:
tlù
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Palauan:
buuch
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Polish:
pieprz żuwny
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Polish:
pieprz betelowy
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Polish:
betel
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Portuguese:
bétele
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Russian:
бете́ль
(betélʹ)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Shan:
ပူႉ
(pṵ̂u)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Spanish:
betel
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Tai Dam:
ꪝꪴ
(ꞌpú)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Tamil:
வெற்றிலை
(veṟṟilai)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Ternate:
lele
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Thai:
พลู
(pluu)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Northern Thai:
พลู
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Northern Thai:
ᨻᩖᩪ
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Tidore:
lele
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Tok Pisin:
bata
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Tok Pisin:
daka
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Urdu:
پان
(pān)
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
Vietnamese:
trầu
— either of two plants: the betel pepper or betel nut
