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

Towering live oaks, cedars, and palmettos once grew near the shore here, but as the Atlantic’s erosive forces carved the bluffs away, the trees tumbled down and were weathered by sun and salt into pale, bleached skeletons. —Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 9 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

While many artists in the Gullah Geechee tradition specialize in the painting of silhouettes, faces are central to Farris’s imagery, as are emblems of life in the Lowcountry, such as palmetto trees, blue herons, and sweetgrass. —Tayari Jones, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2025

Sabal palms and sabal palmettos are widely distributed throughout the states of the Southeast. —Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 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