Plants

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /plɑːnts/

Definitions

1. Photosynthetic organisms that primarily grow in soil and water provide habitat and food for countless species Living entities that absorb sunlight and nutrients to sustain growth while supporting diverse ecosystems Multicellular organisms that engage in photosynthesis, releasing oxygen and forming the base of food chains in various environments
2. Living organisms that produce energy from sunlight through photosynthesis ; a building or complex where industrial processes or manufacturing takes place
3. Organisms that convert sunlight into chemical energy to grow and develop ; a site equipped for producing goods or processing materials

Etymology: The noun "plants" is simply the plural of "plant", so the story is that of the singular. The most surprising thread is that the same English word covers both a tomato seedling and a bread factory. The Latin "planta" meant a sprout, shoot or cutting, the bit you push into the ground to grow something new. Old English took the word as "plante" for a young tree, shrub or herb newly set in soil, and it was the sense of putting something into the earth that gave the verb its meaning, from Old English "plantian" and Latin "plantare". The broader sense of any vegetable life, vegetation in general, came into English through Old French "plante". Later, the same Latin root's sense of any vegetable production that serves to propagate the species, a thing that produces, gave rise to the factory and machinery meanings. A plant, in other words, was first a living cutting, then the living growth around us, and finally a place where things are made.

Synonyms: flora, vegetation

Antonyms: weeds