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}.