ˈplantə(r), -aan-, -ain- noun
( -s )
Etymology: plant (I) + -er
1. : one that cultivates plants: as
a.
(1) : farmer
(2) : one who owns or operates a plantation
b. : a planting machine
2.
a. : one who settles or founds a place
among the earliest planters of York — W.M.Emery
especially : one who helps to found a new colony or settles in it
one of the planters of Virginia
b. : one settled in Ireland on forfeited lands or in the holding of an evicted tenant
3. : one who helps to establish a doctrine or institution
one of the chief planters of democracy in his country
4. : a snag fixed at one end in a riverbed and standing almost rigidly — distinguished from sawyer
5.
[ plant (II) + -er ]
: an owner or operator of a fishing or shipping plant in Newfoundland
6. : a container (as a box, pot, or hanging basket) in which plants are grown or placed for decorative purposes — compare cachepot , dish garden