betel

betel
/beet"l/, n.
an East Indian pepper plant, Piper betle, the leaves of which are chewed with other ingredients.
[1545-55; < Pg bétele, bétere < Malayalam virrila or Tamil verrilai]

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Either of two different plants that are widely used in combination for chewing purposes in southern Asia and the East Indies.

The betel nut is the seed of the areca, or betel, palm (Areca catechu), family Palmae; the betel leaf is from the betel pepper, or pan plant (Piper betle), family Piperaceae. For chewing, a small piece of the areca palm's fruit is wrapped in a leaf of the betel pepper, along with a pellet of lime to cause salivation and release the stimulating alkaloids. Chewing results in a heavy flow of brick-red saliva, which may temporarily dye the mouth, lips, and gums orange-brown. Betel nuts yield an alkaloid that veterinarians use as a worming agent.

The betel nut, seed of the areca palm (Areca catechu)

Wayne Lukas–Group IV
The National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers

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plant
also called  Areca Nut, Pinang, or Penang,  
 either of two different plants whose fruit is used in combination for chewing, or masticatory, purposes throughout wide areas of southern Asia and the East Indies. Betel chewing is a habit of an estimated one-tenth of the world's population. The betel nut is the seed of the areca, or betel palm (Areca catechu), family Palmae, and the betel leaf is from the betel pepper, or pan plant (Piper betle), family Piperaceae.

      The areca palm, cultivated in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines, has a slender, unbranched trunk reaching 12 or 15 metres (40 or 50 feet) high and about 45 centimetres (18 inches) in circumference and is topped by a crown of six to nine very large, spreading, pinnate fronds. The fruit is about the size of a small hen's egg. Within its fibrous rind is the seed, or nut, the albumen of which is hard and has a mottled gray and brown appearance.

      The fruits of the areca palm, gathered between August and November, before they are quite ripe, are husked, boiled in water, cut into slices, and dried in the sun, becoming dark brown or black.

      For chewing, a small piece of the areca palm's fruit is wrapped in a leaf of the betel pepper, along with a pellet of shell lime or chunam to cause salivation and release the stimulating alkaloids. In some cases cardamom, turmeric, or another aromatic is added for flavour and stimulation. Chewing results in a copious flow of brick-red saliva, which may temporarily dye the mouth, lips, and gums orange brown. Contrary to general belief, the teeth of habitual chewers are not blackened by the betel juice, but chewers often artificially stain the teeth black. Betel nuts are a source of inferior catechu (q.v.); its chief alkaloid is arecoline, a drug used by veterinarians as a worming agent.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • bétel — bétel …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • bétel — [ betɛl ] n. m. • 1572; beteille 1515; port. betel, du malayalam vettila 1 ♦ Poivrier grimpant d une variété originaire de Malaisie, dont les feuilles desséchées contiennent des principes stimulants et astringents. 2 ♦ Masticatoire tonique et… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Betel — Bétel Bétel …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Betel — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Betel puede referirse a: Población bíblica, Betel o Bethel. Una planta del sudeste asiático, familia Arecaceae, llamada popularmente Betel o Palma de betel. Una planta rastrera de la familia Piperaceae, Piper betle.… …   Wikipedia Español

  • betel — BETÉL, beteli, s.m. Arbust căţărător ale cărui frunze pot fi mestecate. – Din fr. bétel. Trimis de paula, 02.06.2002. Sursa: DOOM  BETÉL s.m. Mic arbust tropical, din familia piperaceelor, cu tulpini grimpante (grimpant) cultivat pentru frunzele …   Dicționar Român

  • betel — bètel m DEFINICIJA bot. vrsta palme (Areca cathechu) iz tropske Azije SINTAGMA betel orasi betel uvijen u zelene listove biljke Piper betle; upotrebljava se za žvakanje kao narkotično sredstvo ETIMOLOGIJA port. ← mal …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • Betel — Be tel (b[=e] t l), n. [Pg., fr. Tamil ve[.t][.t]ilei, prop. meaning, a mere leaf.] (Bot.) A species of pepper ({Piper betle}), the leaves of which are chewed, with the areca or betel nut and a little shell lime, by the inhabitants of the East… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bètel — m bot. vrsta palme (Areca cathechu) iz tropske Azije ∆ {{001f}}∼ orasi betel uvijen u zelene listove biljke Piper betle; upotrebljava se za žvakanje kao narkotično sredstvo ✧ {{001f}}port. ← egz …   Veliki rječnik hrvatskoga jezika

  • betel — 1550s, probably via Port. betel, from Malayalam vettila, from veru ila simple leaf …   Etymology dictionary

  • Betel — Betel, gewürzhaft schmeckendes Laub einer ostindischen Staude des Betelpfeffers (Piper betle L.), welche Ranken treibt u. auf der Erde kriecht, od. sich um Pfähle od. Bäume schlingt. In Ostindien als Kaumittel, gewöhnlich mit Kalk u. Arecanuß… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Betel — Betel, ein Kaumittel, das aus den Blättern des Betelpfeffers (Piper Betle), der Arekanuß und gebranntem Kalk besteht und in Asien von 68–169° östl. L. und von 12° südl. bis 30° nördl. Br. sowie auf vielen Inseln, von mehr als 200 Mill. Menschen,… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

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