from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Plantain \Plan"tain\, n. [F., fr. L. plantago. Cf. {Plant}.]
(Bot.)
Any plant of the genus {Plantago}, but especially the
{Plantago major}, a low herb with broad spreading radical
leaves, and slender spikes of minute flowers. It is a native
of Europe, but now found near the abode of civilized man in
nearly all parts of the world.
[1913 Webster]
{Indian plantain}. (Bot.) See under {Indian}.
{Mud plantain}, a homely North American aquatic plant
({Heteranthera reniformis}), having broad, reniform
leaves.
{Rattlesnake plantain}, an orchidaceous plant ({Goodyera
pubescens}), with the leaves blotched and spotted with
white.
{Ribwort plantain}. See {Ribwort}.
{Robin's plantain}, the {Erigeron bellidifolium}, a common
daisylike plant of North America.
{Water plantain}, a plant of the genus {Alisma}, having acrid
leaves, and formerly regarded as a specific against
hydrophobia. --Loudon.
[1913 Webster]