Palmetto \Pal*met"to\, n. [Dim. of palm the tree: cf. Sp.
palmito.] (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
{Cham[ae]rops, or Sabal, Palmetto}, the cabbage tree of
Florida and the Carolinas. See {Cabbage tree}, under
{Cabbage}.