banyan

or ban·ian

[ ban-yuhn ]

noun
  1. Also called banyan tree . an East Indian fig tree, Ficus benghalensis, of the mulberry family, having branches that send out adventitious roots to the ground and sometimes cause the tree to spread over a wide area.

  2. Also ban·ia [ban-yuh], /ˈbæn yə/, ban·iya [ban-yuh, -ee-uh] /ˈbæn yə, -i ə/ . (in India)

    • a Hindu trader or merchant of a particular caste, the rules of which forbid eating flesh.

    • a loose shirt, jacket, or gown.

Origin of banyan

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Portuguese (perhaps from Arabic ), from Gujarati vāṇiyo (singular) or vāṇiyā (plural) member of the merchant caste (compare Prakrit vāṇiaya, Sanskrit vāṇija trader); the tree is said to have taken its name from a particular tree of the species near which merchants had built a booth; source of final nasal uncertain

Words Nearby banyan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use banyan in a sentence

  • It was aimed down here toward the banyan tree on December 28, 2009.

    The Perils of Karachi | Steve Inskeep | October 14, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • The ambulance parked by the banyan tree had a word in red on the side, in English and Urdu: “Edhi.”

    The Perils of Karachi | Steve Inskeep | October 14, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • The gamela, like the banyan, easily takes root in other trees, and its branches meet together in the same manner.

  • Realizing the danger we were in, I went up a very heavy banyan tree out of Kari's reach and lay among the leaves.

    Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal Mukerji
  • "There is a little arbor in the banyan-grove yonder where we can talk undisturbed," she said in a voice of quiet authority.

    The Argus Pheasant | John Charles Beecham
  • The Dyaks, scurrying through the banyan groves and bamboo thickets, enclosed it on the rear and landward sides.

    The Argus Pheasant | John Charles Beecham
  • Kathlyn found herself, all at once, sitting against the roots of an aged banyan tree.

    The Adventures of Kathlyn | Harold MacGrath

British Dictionary definitions for banyan

banyan

banian

/ (ˈbænjən) /


noun
  1. a moraceous tree, Ficus benghalensis, of tropical India and the East Indies, having aerial roots that grow down into the soil forming additional trunks

  2. a member of the Hindu merchant caste of N and W India

  1. a loose-fitting shirt, jacket, or robe, worn originally in India

Origin of banyan

1
C16: from Hindi baniyā, from Sanskrit vānija merchant

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012