noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A psychoactive preparation of betel leaf combined with areca nut and/or cured tobacco, chewed recreationally in Asia; such a preparation served wrapped in the leaf. India, countable, uncountable

   "‘I am an Indian, it is an Indian habit to take pan. The Civil Surgeon must put up with it.’"

Example

More examples

"‘I am an Indian, it is an Indian habit to take pan. The Civil Surgeon must put up with it.’"

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi पान (pān). Possible doublet of fern via Proto-Indo-European *pornóm.

Related phrases

areca nut

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.