banana
Americannoun
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a tropical plant of the genus Musa, certain species of which are cultivated for their nutritious fruit.
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the fruit, especially that of M. paradisiaca, with yellow or reddish rind.
noun
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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
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the crescent-shaped fruit of any of these plants Compare plantain 2
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He said he and his wife Antoinette had worked their land for decades to grow manioc and bananas on steep fields that had taken a toll on his wife's back.
From Barron's
Foods rich in soluble fiber include many fruits and vegetables, such as apples, avocados, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.
From Science Daily
On race morning, he’ll eat his usual: a bagel with peanut butter and a banana.
From Los Angeles Times
“All the volatility curves kind of inform each other. It’s hard for bond volatility to go bananas and not bleed into equity volatility.”
From MarketWatch
The siding was, for some reason, the color of aging bananas.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
