plant)
|plant|
🇺🇸
/plænt/
🇬🇧
/plɑːnt/
(plant)
living organism
Etymology
'plant' originates from Late Latin 'planta', meaning 'a sprout, slip, or young shoot.'
'plant' passed into Old French as 'plante' and Middle English as 'plante', eventually becoming the modern English word 'plant'.
Initially it referred specifically to a 'sprout' or 'cutting'; over time it broadened to mean a whole living vascular organism and extended metaphorically to installations and acts of placing or fixing something.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a living organism such as a tree, flower, or grass that grows in the earth and typically makes its own food by photosynthesis.
I put the plant on the windowsill so it would get more light.
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Noun 2
a large industrial site or factory where goods are manufactured or power is generated (e.g., power plant, manufacturing plant).
The new power plant will supply electricity to the whole region.
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Noun 3
the machinery, equipment, and installations used in an industrial process (collectively referred to as 'the plant').
Maintenance on the plant's boilers will start next week.
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Noun 4
a person or object secretly placed in a situation to influence events or gather information (a 'plant').
He realized the guest at the meeting was a plant from a rival company.
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Verb 1
to put a seed, bulb, or young plant into the ground so that it will grow.
She plans to plant tomatoes in the garden this weekend.
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Verb 2
to place something firmly or fix it in position (e.g., plant one's feet).
He planted his feet and refused to move.
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Verb 3
to place something secretly or deceptively (e.g., to plant evidence or a bug).
Someone planted drugs in his bag to frame him.
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Adjective 1
used before a noun to indicate relation to a factory or industrial site (attributive use, e.g., plant manager).
The plant manager explained the safety procedures.
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Last updated: 2025/12/07 03:20