A tropical climbing plant or the preparation made from its leaves and nuts, chewed in South and Southeast Asia as a mild stimulant.
From Portuguese 'betel,' derived from Malayalam 'vettila' or Tamil 'vettilai' (the plant's leaves). The term entered European languages through Portuguese traders in the 1500s who encountered the practice in India.
Over 600 million people chew betel nut daily in Asia—it's been used for 4,000 years and is more popular than chewing gum, yet most Westerners have never heard of it!
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