betel

Where does the word "betel" come from? It comes from Malayalam vettila, passing through Portuguese before entering English (1600s).

Betel’s story begins in Malayalam: vettila meant “betel leaf.” The name for the leaf chewed with areca nut. By 1500s-1600s, the word had taken hold in Portuguese as betel. Portuguese traders in Kerala met the leaf, chewed with areca nut across South and Southeast Asia. It reached English by 1600s as betel. Marco Polo had already described the chewing of betel in the 1290s. Today, betel means the leaf of a plant chewed with areca nut as a mild stimulant in parts of Asia.

1. Stage 1 · Malayalam · medieval vettila "betel leaf", the name for the leaf chewed with areca nut.
2. Stage 2 · Portuguese · 1500s-1600s betel "betel leaf", Portuguese traders in Kerala met the leaf, chewed with areca nut across South and Southeast Asia.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1600s betel "a leaf chewed as a mild stimulant", Marco Polo had already described the chewing of betel in the 1290s.