banana

[ buh-nan-uh ]
See synonyms for banana on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a tropical plant of the genus Musa, certain species of which are cultivated for their nutritious fruit.: Compare banana family.

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

Origin of banana

1
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

Words that may be confused with banana

Words Nearby banana

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

How to use banana in a sentence

  • The broad veranda was shaded by a clump of tall banana-trees, swaying to and fro in the gentle breeze.

  • The plant from which is made what is called Manila hemp belongs to the same family as the banana and the plantain.

  • The next time the fruit disappeared, I found a banana all smashed up in Kari's pavilion.

    Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal Mukerji
  • Down in the court a silvery fountain played among palms and banana trees.

    The Sunbridge Girls at Six Star Ranch | Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter
  • Beyond the door was a banana tree, with ten-foot leaves, and a little black monkey loping around under it, sort of indifferent.

    The Belted Seas | Arthur Colton

British Dictionary definitions for banana

banana

/ (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

Origin of banana

1
C16: from Spanish or Portuguese, of African origin

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with banana

banana

In addition to the idiom beginning with banana

  • banana oil

also see:

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.