məˈrantə noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Bartolomeo Maranta died 1571 Italian physician and botanist
1.
a. capitalized : a genus (the type of the family Marantaceae) of tropical American herbs with tuberous starchy roots and large sheathing leaves and regular flowers with a single petaloid filament bearing a one-celled anther
b. -s : any plant of the genus Maranta
2. -s : starch prepared from the rootstocks of an American arrowroot ( Maranta arundinacea )