PLANT

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does plant mean? 

• PLANT (noun)
  The noun PLANT has 4 senses:

1. buildings for carrying on industrial labor

2. (botany) a living organism lacking the power of locomotion

3. an actor situated in the audience whose acting is rehearsed but seems spontaneous to the audience

4. something planted secretly for discovery by another

  Familiarity information: PLANT used as a noun is uncommon.

• PLANT (verb)
  The verb PLANT has 6 senses:

1. put or set (seeds, seedlings, or plants) into the ground

2. fix or set securely or deeply

3. set up or lay the groundwork for

4. place into a river

5. place something or someone in a certain position in order to secretly observe or deceive

6. put firmly in the mind

  Familiarity information: PLANT used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PLANT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Buildings for carrying on industrial labor

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

industrial plant; plant; works

Context example:

they built a large plant to manufacture automobiles

Hypernyms ("plant" is a kind of...):

building complex; complex (a whole structure (as a building) made up of interconnected or related structures)

Domain member category:

gas system (facility (plant and equipment) for providing natural-gas service)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "plant"):

brewery (a plant where beer is brewed by fermentation)

distillery; still (a plant and works where alcoholic drinks are made by distillation)

factory; manufactory; manufacturing plant; mill (a plant consisting of one or more buildings with facilities for manufacturing)

mint (a plant where money is coined by authority of the government)

packing plant; packinghouse (a plant where livestock are slaughtered and processed and packed as meat products)

recycling plant (a plant for reprocessing used or abandoned materials)

refinery (an industrial plant for purifying a crude substance)

saltworks (a plant where salt is produced commercially)

disposal plant; sewage disposal plant (a plant for disposing of sewage)

smelter; smeltery (an industrial plant for smelting)

wine maker; winery (an establishment where wine is made)

bottling plant (a plant where beverages are put into bottles with caps)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(botany) a living organism lacking the power of locomotion

Classified under:

Nouns with no superordinates

Synonyms:

flora; plant; plant life

Hypernyms ("plant" is a kind of...):

being; organism (a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently)

Meronyms (parts of "plant"):

cap; hood (a protective covering that is part of a plant)

plant part; plant structure (any part of a plant or fungus)

Domain category:

botany; phytology (the branch of biology that studies plants)

Domain member category:

botanical medicine; herbal therapy; phytotherapy (the use of plants or plant extracts for medicinal purposes (especially plants that are not part of the normal diet))

micro-organism; microorganism (any organism of microscopic size)

parasite (an animal or plant that lives in or on a host (another animal or plant); it obtains nourishment from the host without benefiting or killing the host)

coca (dried leaves of the coca plant (and related plants that also contain cocaine); chewed by Andean people for their stimulating effect)

fugaciousness; fugacity (the lack of enduring qualities (used chiefly of plant parts))

circulation (free movement or passage (as of cytoplasm within a cell or sap through a plant))

botany; flora; vegetation (all the plant life in a particular region or period)

squamule (a minute scale)

nitrification (the oxidation of ammonium compounds in dead organic material into nitrates and nitrites by soil bacteria (making nitrogen available to plants))

perennation (the process of living through a number of years (as a perennial plant))

photosynthesis (synthesis of compounds with the aid of radiant energy (especially in plants))

alder blight (a disease of alders caused by the woolly alder aphid (a plant louse))

peroxidase (any of a group of enzymes (occurring especially in plant cells) that catalyze the oxidation of a compound by a peroxide)

tenderiser; tenderizer (a substance (as the plant enzyme papain) applied to meat to make it tender)

propagate (cause to propagate, as by grafting or layering)

etiolate (bleach and alter the natural development of (a green plant) by excluding sunlight)

bruise (damage (plant tissue) by abrasion or pressure)

cultivate; domesticate; naturalise; naturalize; tame (adapt (a wild plant or unclaimed land) to the environment)

accrete (grow together (of plants and organs))

deaden; girdle (cut a girdle around so as to kill by interrupting the circulation of water and nutrients)

acid-loving (thriving in a relatively acidic environment (especially of plants requiring a pH well below 7))

alkaline-loving (thriving in a relatively alkaline environment; (especially of plants requiring a pH above 7))

apocarpous ((of ovaries of flowering plants) consisting of carpels that are free from one another as in buttercups or roses)

syncarpous ((of ovaries of flowering plants) consisting of united carpels)

sedgy (covered with sedges (grasslike marsh plants))

floccose ((of plants) having tufts of soft woolly hairs)

hispid ((of animals or plants) having stiff coarse hairs or bristles)

pappose ((of plants such as dandelions and thistles) having pappi or tufts of featherlike hairs or delicate bristles)

carnivorous ((used of plants as well as animals) feeding on animals)

saprophytic ((of some plants or fungi) feeding on dead or decaying organic matter)

insectivorous ((of animals and plants) feeding on insects)

blanched; etiolate; etiolated ((especially of plants) developed without chlorophyll by being deprived of light)

tender ((of plants) not hardy; easily killed by adverse growing condition)

dicotyledonous ((of a flowering plant) having two cotyledons in the seed)

monocotyledonous ((of a flowering plant) having a single cotyledon in the seed as in grasses and lilies)

evergreen ((of plants and shrubs) bearing foliage throughout the year)

deciduous ((of plants and shrubs) shedding foliage at the end of the growing season)

campylotropous ((of a plant ovule) curved with the micropyle near the base almost touching its stalk)

orthotropous ((of a plant ovule) completely straight with the micropyle at the apex)

anatropous; inverted ((of a plant ovule) completely inverted; turned back 180 degrees on its stalk)

amphitropous ((of a plant ovule) partly inverted; turned back 90 degrees on its stalk)

epiphytotic ((of plants) epidemic among plants of a single kind especially over a wide area)

amentaceous; amentiferous ((of plants) bearing or characterized by aments or catkins)

half-hardy ((of plants) requiring protection from frost)

gregarious ((of plants) growing in groups that are close together)

clustered (growing close together but not in dense mats)

ungregarious ((of plants) growing together in groups that are not close together)

caespitose; cespitose; tufted ((of plants) growing in small dense clumps or tufts)

leggy; tall-growing ((of plants) having tall spindly stems)

endangered ((of flora or fauna) in imminent danger of extinction)

threatened ((of flora or fauna) likely in the near future to become endangered)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "plant"):

houseplant (any of a variety of plants grown indoors for decorative purposes)

perennial ((botany) a plant lasting for three seasons or more)

escape (a plant originally cultivated but now growing wild)

hygrophyte (a plant that grows in a moist habitat)

neophyte (a plant that is found in an area where it had not been recorded previously)

embryo ((botany) a minute rudimentary plant contained within a seed or an archegonium)

monocarp; monocarpic plant; monocarpous plant (a plant that bears fruit once and dies)

sporophyte (the spore-producing individual or phase in the life cycle of a plant having alternation of generations)

gametophyte (the gamete-bearing individual or phase in the life cycle of a plant having alternation of generations)

biennial ((botany) a plant having a life cycle that normally takes two seasons from germination to death to complete; flowering biennials usually bloom and fruit in the second season)

garden plant (any of a variety of plants usually grown especially in a flower or herb garden)

tracheophyte; vascular plant (green plant having a vascular system: ferns, gymnosperms, angiosperms)

poisonous plant (a plant that when touched or ingested in sufficient quantity can be harmful or fatal to an organism)

aerophyte; air plant; epiphyte; epiphytic plant (plant that derives moisture and nutrients from the air and rain; usually grows on another plant but not parasitic on it)

rock plant (plant that grows on or among rocks or is suitable for a rock garden)

autophyte; autophytic plant; autotroph; autotrophic organism (plant capable of synthesizing its own food from simple organic substances)

myrmecophyte (plant that affords shelter or food to ants that live in symbiotic relations with it)

annual ((botany) a plant that completes its entire life cycle within the space of a year)

cryptogam (formerly recognized taxonomic group including all flowerless and seedless plants that reproduce by means of spores: ferns, mosses, algae, fungi)

aquatic (a plant that lives in or on water)

apomict (a plant that reproduces or is reproduced by apomixis)

acrogen (any flowerless plant such as a fern (pteridophyte) or moss (bryophyte) in which growth occurs only at the tip of the main stem)

pot plant (a plant suitable for growing in a flowerpot (especially indoors))

ornamental (any plant grown for its beauty or ornamental value)

wilding (a wild uncultivated plant (especially a wild apple or crabapple tree))

plantlet (a young plant or a small plant)

non-flowering plant (a plant that does not bear flowers)

holophyte (an organism that produces its own food by photosynthesis)

endemic (a plant that is native to a certain limited area)

crop (a cultivated plant that is grown commercially on a large scale)

microflora (microscopic plants; bacteria are often considered to be microflora)

phytoplankton (photosynthetic or plant constituent of plankton; mainly unicellular algae)

Holonyms ("plant" is a member of...):

kingdom Plantae; plant kingdom; Plantae ((botany) the taxonomic kingdom comprising all living or extinct plants)

Derivation:

plant (put or set (seeds, seedlings, or plants) into the ground)

plantal (of or relating to plants)

plantlet (a young plant or a small plant)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An actor situated in the audience whose acting is rehearsed but seems spontaneous to the audience

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("plant" is a kind of...):

actor; histrion; player; role player; thespian (a theatrical performer)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Something planted secretly for discovery by another

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

he claimed that the evidence against him was a plant

Hypernyms ("plant" is a kind of...):

contrivance; dodge; stratagem (an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade)

Derivation:

plant (place something or someone in a certain position in order to secretly observe or deceive)

• PLANT (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Put or set (seeds, seedlings, or plants) into the ground

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

plant; set

Context example:

Let's plant flowers in the garden

Hypernyms (to "plant" is one way to...):

lay; place; pose; position; put; set (put into a certain place or abstract location)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "plant"):

root (plant by the roots)

puddle (dip into mud before planting)

checkrow (plant in checkrows)

bed (place (plants) in a prepared bed of soil)

dibble (plant with a wooden hand tool)

afforest; forest (establish a forest on previously unforested land)

replant (plant again or anew)

tree (plant with trees)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

They plant rye in the field

Derivation:

plant ((botany) a living organism lacking the power of locomotion)

planter (a decorative pot for house plants)

planting (putting seeds or young plants in the ground to grow)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Fix or set securely or deeply

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

embed; engraft; imbed; implant; plant

Context example:

The dentist implanted a tooth in the gum

Hypernyms (to "plant" is one way to...):

enter; infix; insert; introduce (put or introduce into something)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "plant"):

pot (plant in a pot)

bury; sink (embed deeply)

nest (fit together or fit inside)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

planting (the act of fixing firmly in place)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Set up or lay the groundwork for

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

constitute; establish; found; institute; plant

Context example:

establish a new department

Hypernyms (to "plant" is one way to...):

initiate; pioneer (take the lead or initiative in; participate in the development of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "plant"):

fix (set or place definitely)

appoint; constitute; name; nominate (create and charge with a task or function)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Place into a river

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

plant fish

Hypernyms (to "plant" is one way to...):

stock (provide or furnish with a stock of something)

Domain category:

animal husbandry (breeding and caring for farm animals)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Place something or someone in a certain position in order to secretly observe or deceive

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

plant bugs in the dissident's apartment

Hypernyms (to "plant" is one way to...):

lay; place; pose; position; put; set (put into a certain place or abstract location)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

plant (something planted secretly for discovery by another)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Put firmly in the mind

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

implant; plant

Context example:

Plant a thought in the students' minds

Hypernyms (to "plant" is one way to...):

communicate; pass; pass along; pass on; put across (transmit information)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Sentence example:

They won't plant the story

 Context examples 

A semiparasitic plant that grows on some types of trees.

(Mistletoe, NCI Dictionary)

When Traddles went away, and I came back into the parlour from seeing him out, my wife planted her chair close to mine, and sat down by my side.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

This makes it even more remarkable that we have found vaterite in such large quantities on the surface of plant leaves.

(Rare mineral discovered in plants for first time, University of Cambridge)

The predictions vary widely depending on assumptions about how plants respond to climate.

(What's killing trees during droughts?, National Science Foundation)

The plant flowers and fruits all year round.

(Morinda citrifolia, NCI Thesaurus)

He could have settled her with a well-planted blow; but he would not strike: he would only wrestle.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

A thick, viscous plant cell product; the term is usually applied to plant gums.

(Mucilage, NCI Thesaurus/CRCH)

Of personal adventures he said little, but laid stress upon the rich harvest reaped by Science in the observations of the wonderful beast, bird, insect, and plant life of the plateau.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The science of the form and structure of organisms (plants, animals, and other forms of life).

(Morphology, NCI Dictionary)

A person who specializes in anatomy (the study of the structures of animals or plants).

(Anatomist, NCI Dictionary)