palmetto Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun any of several low-growing palms with fan-shaped leaves

WordNet

Pal*met"to noun
Etymology
Dim. of palm the tree: cf. Sp. palmito.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A name given to palms of several genera and species growing in the West Indies and the Southern United States. In the United States, the name is applied especially to the Chamærops, ∨ Sabal, Palmetto, the cabbage tree of Florida and the Carolinas. See Cabbage tree, under Cabbage.

Webster 1913