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View synonyms for banana

banana

[ buh-nan-uh ]

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 of M. paradisiaca, with yellow or reddish rind.


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
“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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of banana1

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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of banana1

C16: from Spanish or Portuguese, of African origin
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Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with banana , also see drive someone crazy (bananas) ; go bananas ; top banana .
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Example Sentences

Recently, Mr. Sun grabbed headlines when he spent $6.2 million at a Sotheby’s art auction to buy an artwork that consisted of a banana taped to the wall, which he then proceeded to eat.

The banana is regularly replaced before exhibitions, with Mr Sun buying the right to display the installation along with a guide on how to replace the fruit.

From BBC

Before Brexit, imported bananas provided 44% of the United Kingdom’s total requirement of vitamin C, needed to keep its old nemesis of scurvy at bay.

In the dense warren of stalls, the best-looking produce is displayed prominently: ripe bananas, glistening limes and orderly rows of broccoli and asparagus.

“This is bananas. Jack, I saw the photo. You captured the spirit of me very well,” Mescal said to the winner.

From Salon

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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.

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