planta-, plant-

The bottom part of the feet: The new shoes were very comfortable for Linda's plantars.

In anatomy, of or relating to the soles or undersurfaces of the feet: Gerald had some kind of plantar disease that made it very difficult for him to wear shoes and even to walk.

A reaction to a touch on the soles or base of the feet that results in the movements of the toes: Plantar reflexes include a stroking or tender rubbing of the outer surfaces of the bottoms of the feet resulting in an automatic instinctive reaction to the stimuli.

Painful lesions or damaged skin areas on the undersurface of the feet primarily at points of pressure: Such areas of pain can be caused by plantar warts that are recognized by very small black spots or hard, horny, rough-surfaced areas on the lower sides of the feet.

Plantar warts are often acquired by walking bare-footed on contaminated floors near swimming pools and communal showers.

As a result of pressure from the weight of the body, plantar warts are flattened and forced into the skin on the base of the feet; often causing discomfort or even pain when a person is standing or walking.

A large area of land or an estate on which crops are cultivated; especially, in a tropical or semitropical region: Some plantations produce such agricultural plants as coffee, tobacco, cotton, sugar cain, rubber trees, etc.

The labor on a plantation is normally done by workers who live there.

1. A container in which flowers are grown: Thomas bought a few hanging planters to put on his balcony.
2. A farm machine that places flora pods or capsules in the ground: Mike used his planter to plant wheat and oat seeds in the fields.

The process of species spending most of their active lives on or within vegetation: Some insects planticole in dense clusters on plants in gardens which makes gardeners despise seeing them, because when the bugs are planticoling, it deprives the herbs of their saps which causes them to wilt and to dry up.

Many animals survive on plants for food and as places for living and protection.

A reference to insects or any other organisms which live on or inside verdure (green foliage): The planticolous aphids suck out the juices of plants for the protein in the plant sap; however, since such sap is poor in proteins, the aphids have to take up a lot of sap in order to provide their protein supply while taking in more carbohydrates than they need which results in a surplus that is excreted by the aphids as sugar.

1. Walking on the whole base or bottoms of the feet: Bears, raccoons, rabbits, and even human beings are examples of plantigrade animals.
2. When walking, using the lower surfaces of each foot on the ground including the heel: Humans are probably the most identifiable plantigrade creatures that people know.

Vegetable matter that can cause severe allergic reactions if their leaves brush against a person's skin or cause a terrible illness if eaten: There are several poisonous plants that cause very unpleasant skin diseases; such as, poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac.

Poisonous plants grow as vines or bushes, and the leaves have three leaflets (poison ivy, poison oak) or a row of paired leaflets (poison sumac).

A poisonous plant can cause itching, burning, and blistering at the places of the skin where contact has occurred and in some people these skin reactions can be extremely severe and very uncomfortable.

The poisonous plants that are very dangerous to eat include foxglove, aconite, hemlock, laburnum seeds, and many types of berries, including the berries of deadly nightshade and holly.

The seriousness of the symptoms of poisonous plants are different depending on the plant and may include abdominal pain, vomiting, excitement, breathing difficulties, delirium, and even coma.

Children should be taught not to sample any berries of potentially poisonous plants or any kind of wild plants.

More about poisonous plants

There are hundreds of different poisonous plants including many household plants and flowers; a few of which are described here.

• Poison ivy occurs throughout the United States growing as a bush or a vine where each leaf consists of three shiny leaflets. When anyone comes in contact with these plants, an oily substance from the surface of the plant causes irritation on the skin that can be very severe and spread even more when the skin is scratched.
• Nightshade, also called belladonna, is about three feet high, with shiny black berries. Eating even a small part of a seed can result in symptoms; such as, a rash, blurred vision, difficulty in swallowing, confusion, and a coma.
• The foxglove, which has purplish pink flowers, is a source of the heart drug digitalis; however, eating the plant irritates the mouth and causes abdominal pain, diarrhea, and a disturbance of the heart beat.

A young vegetative organism that starts with germination and then into a sprout: A seedling plant is one that has emerged from its protective seed coat and has developed into a tiny plant at the end of a given period, generally at the end of the first growing season.

1. To take the place of; especially, through force or plotting: Although Jane fought against it, the board of directors supplanted her administrative position with another more qualified person.
2. To remove or uproot in order to replace with something else: The lexicographer, Mr. Johnson, was asked if he thought online dictionaries would be supplanting printed formats.
3. Etymology: via Old French suppplanter, from Latin supplantare, "to trip up"; hence "to overthrow" is a compound verb that is formed from the prefix sub-, "up from under" and planta, "sole of the foot" and so it seems to be indirectly related to the term plant.

1. Something that is replaced or superseded by something else: It is possible that further research will result in a supplantation of the conclusions the directors, Mr. Jones and Mrs. Smith, have indicated so far.
2. Etymology: from Middle English, from Anglo-French supplanter, from Latin supplantare, "to trip up, to cause to stumble", which came from Latin sub-, "under" + planta, "sole of the foot".

Anyone who takes the place of another person: The two university graduates, Sally and Jack, were supplanters of the previous teachers of two science classes.

A generating facility that uses heat to produce electrical power: Thermal power plants produce electric energy from steam that has been released by water when raised to a high temperature which then spins a steam turbine that drives an electrical generator.

As with other related "plant" references, this entry is believed to be linked to the action of pressing on a shovel, or some other planting device, with the "sole of the foot" in order to work the soil for planting.