Bot. [mod.L., ad. Gr. βόρασσος palm-fruit.] A genus of palms, including two species, of which B. flabelliformis the Palmyra Palm, yields palm-wine and palm-sugar.
1798. S. Wilcocke, Stavorinus’ Voy., in Southey, Comm.-pl. Bk., Ser. II. (1849), 517. At Ceylon … the leaves of the borassus palm tree … are used instead of paper.
1878. H. M. Stanley, Dark Cont., I. vi. 131. A forest of borassus palms.
