banana

American  

[buh-nan-uh] / bəˈnæn ə /

noun

• bananas
  plural

1. a tropical plant of the genus Musa, certain species of which are cultivated for their nutritious fruit.

2. the fruit, especially that of M. paradisiaca, with yellow or reddish rind.

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banana British  

/ bəˈnɑːnə /

noun

1. any of several tropical and subtropical herbaceous treelike plants of the musaceous genus Musa , esp M. sapientum , a widely cultivated species propagated from suckers and having hanging clusters of edible fruit

2. the crescent-shaped fruit of any of these plants Compare plantain 2

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banana Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing banana

• drive someone crazy (bananas)
• go bananas
• top banana

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bananas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of banana

1590–1600; < Spanish < Portuguese (perhaps via Sp); akin to various words for banana or plantain in WAfr languages (e.g., Wolof, Malinke banana, Vai (Mande language of Liberia) bana ), but ultimate source and direction of borrowing uncertain

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Explanation

A banana is a curved, yellow fruit with a thick skin and soft sweet flesh. If you eat a banana every day for breakfast, your roommate might nickname you "the monkey." A banana is a tropical fruit that's quite popular all over the world. It grows in bunches on a banana tree. To "go bananas" is a slangy way of saying "go crazy" or act ridiculous, and if someone refers to the "top banana," they mean the most important person in a particular group. The origin of banana isn't certain, but it's thought that it was borrowed by the Spanish or Portuguese from an African word, probably the Wolof word banana.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

banana bananas

This was perceived as a dig against Eduardo, mockingly nicknamed "little banana."

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

At Lumpia City, look for crisp lumpia in playful flavors like ube butter banana French toast, which won a Sporkie in 2025, or pizza stuffed with gooey cheese, pepperoni and sausage.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

Now United must prepare for their Champions League return, against another banana skin-type opponent in Azerbaijan's Sabah FK.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

Right now it’s banana ice cream with blueberries and it’s heaven.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

“There. And there. That’s a piece of banana, and that’s a grape. Why don’t you try it?”

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

In February, after another stepson, Eduardo Bolsonaro accused her of not doing enough to support Flavio's campaign, she shared a picture of fried bananas she was making for her husband.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

Wearing drill-sergeant regalia, Porowski instructs a group of hapless male shopper actors in such supermarket fundamentals as distinguishing celery from leeks, checking expiration dates and identifying ripe bananas.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026

First up, hosts Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers dig into what is causing inflation and why bananas should actually cost more than they do.

From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026

At the trial—held ahead of the first official games, which will take place in New York in November—competitors chatted excitedly while snacking on bananas and protein bars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

The garden shed, with the bananas still on their hook, had been lifted right over the wall and dropped neatly in the middle of the bamboo grove.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

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