banyan
or ban·ian
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.
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
1Words Nearby banyan
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use banyan in a sentence
The men spend most of their time sitting under a big banyan tree and try to ignore the sharp heat encircling them like a halo.
No power, no fans, no AC: The villagers fighting to survive India’s deadly heatwaves | Snigdha Poonam | July 5, 2022 | MIT Technology ReviewGet there via a four-mile round-trip hike on the Pipiwai Trail, passing through a dense bamboo forest, past guava trees, and around a huge banyan tree along the way.
A large banyan tree served as a collection center for mail and other deliveries.
Slum dwellers in India get unique digital addresses | Shoma Abhyankar | April 28, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewLocated ten minutes from Lahaina, this spot has mellow surf breaks, some of the world’s largest banyan trees, and guided sea kayaking outings through a protected reef.
Robert Pavlik, chief market strategist at banyan Partners, disagreed the acquisition was a desperate move.
It was aimed down here toward the banyan tree on December 28, 2009.
The ambulance parked by the banyan tree had a word in red on the side, in English and Urdu: “Edhi.”
The gamela, like the banyan, easily takes root in other trees, and its branches meet together in the same manner.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil | Maria GrahamRealizing 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 BeechamThe Dyaks, scurrying through the banyan groves and bamboo thickets, enclosed it on the rear and landward sides.
The Argus Pheasant | John Charles BeechamKathlyn 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
banian
/ (ˈbænjən) /
a moraceous tree, Ficus benghalensis, of tropical India and the East Indies, having aerial roots that grow down into the soil forming additional trunks
a member of the Hindu merchant caste of N and W India
a loose-fitting shirt, jacket, or robe, worn originally in India
Origin of banyan
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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