banyan
Americannoun
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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.
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Also bania baniya (in India)
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a Hindu trader or merchant of a particular caste, the rules of which forbid eating flesh.
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a loose shirt, jacket, or gown.
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noun
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a moraceous tree, Ficus benghalensis , of tropical India and the East Indies, having aerial roots that grow down into the soil forming additional trunks
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a member of the Hindu merchant caste of N and W India
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a loose-fitting shirt, jacket, or robe, worn originally in India
Etymology
Origin of banyan
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
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.
The opposite view was expressed by Xin Wu, founder of Banyan Partners, an investment-management firm specializing in China-related equities.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026
Page is only the second person to have ever lived in Banyan Ridge, which was built in 2008, six years after Lewis purchased the land for $1.8 million.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 14, 2026
The reopened areas include Banyan Tree Park, home to a 150-year-old tree that burned in the fire but that is now sprouting new leaves, Lahaina’s public library, an elementary school and popular restaurants.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 11, 2023
More than a month after a wind-fueled inferno torched Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the town’s signature 150-year-old Banyan tree is sprouting leaves, proving its vitality.
From Washington Times • Sep. 20, 2023
This beautiful tree also resembles the Banyan of South America, and belongs to that class.
From Rambles by Land and Water or Notes of Travel in Cuba and Mexico by Norman, B. M.
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.
