palmetto

noun

pal·​met·​to pal-ˈme-(ˌ)tō 

also pä-, 

päl-, 

pȯ-, 

pȯl-

plural palmettos or palmettoes

1

: any of several usually low-growing fan-leaved palms

especially : cabbage palmetto

2

: strips of the leaf blade of a palmetto used in weaving

Illustration of palmetto

• palmetto 1

Examples of palmetto in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Relax in Nature For hiking and kayaking, Palmetto State Park, named for its dwarf palmetto trees, features an unexpected landscape of shaded, swampy surroundings, multiple trails, and a historic 1930s pavilion overlooking the river. —Lauren Jones, Southern Living, 30 Nov. 2025

Turmeric High-dose vitamin C Saw palmetto Black tea extract Bromelain This is not an exhaustive list of supplements that may increase your risk of bleeding. —Ayesha Gulzar, Verywell Health, 28 Oct. 2025

The 11 men were skilled at it, too, having amassed 6,000 pounds of saw palmetto berries before deputies closed in, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 13 news release. —Mark Price, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2025

Wildlife watchers can spot bobcats, foxes, otters, alligators, turtles and manatees, with more than 150 bird species flying among mangrove, cypress, palmetto and pine trees. —Ruffin Prevost, New York Times, 21 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

modification of Spanish palmito, from palma palm, from Latin

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing palmetto

• cabbage palmetto
• palmetto bass
• palmetto bug
• saw palmetto

Rhymes for palmetto

• hereto
• libretto
• magneto
• stiletto
• whereto
• allegretto
• lazaretto
• ghetto
• seto

Kids Definition

palmetto

noun

pal·​met·​to pal-ˈmet-ō 

plural palmettos or palmettoes

: any of several usually low-growing palms with fan-shaped leaves