beetle leaf

English

Noun

beetle leaf (plural beetle leaves)

  1. Alternative spelling of betel leaf.
    • 1816, John Callaway, Yakkun Nattannawa: A Cingalese Poem, Descriptive of the Ceylon System of Demonology, page 10:
      Scatter black sand, and offer camphor, sandal, flowers, beetle-leaves, and all sorts of fragrance.
    • 1835, Alexander's East India and Colonial Magazine: 1835,1/6, page 547:
      Beetle-leaf is absolutely a primary necessary article of life; every person consumes it daily, especially when travelling; the hindoo of caste has great difficulties in the way of cooking food, which are augmented whenever from home, and the beetle alleviates his hunger.
    • 1835, The Gentleman's Magazine, Volume 157, E. Cave, pages 614–615:
      "It consists of the beetle leaf, in which the piece of an areca-nut is mixed with some lime out of the oyster and muscle shells, and so put into the mouth and chewed. Out of the beetle leaves, during the preparation, the fibres that are hard and rough are first drawn to the leaf; the form of a little horn is then given, open at the bottom, and pointed at the top, which when the areca-nut is inserted is closed, and so chewed."
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