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definitions

bananas

[ buh-nan-uh z ]
/ bəˈnæn əz /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bananas ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Slang.

crazy; deranged: All that chatter is driving me bananas.
wildly enthusiastic: The crowd went bananas when the music began.

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RELATED WORDS

crazy, lunatic, cuckoo, maniac, nuts, sick, psycho, crackers, bonkers, brainsick, daft, demented, deranged, distraught, disturbed, dotty, kooky, loco, mad, maniacal

Nearby words

  1. banana skin,
  2. banana slug,
  3. banana spider,
  4. banana split,
  5. bananaland,
  6. banaras,
  7. banat,
  8. banausic,
  9. banbridge,
  10. banbury

Origin of bananas

1965–70, Americanism; see banana, -s3

banana

[ buh-nan-uh ]
/ bəˈnæn ə /

noun

a tropical plant of the genus Musa, certain species of which are cultivated for their nutritious fruit.Compare banana family.
the fruit, especially that of M. paradisiaca, with yellow or reddish rind.

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
Can be confusedbanana plantain1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bananas

British Dictionary definitions for bananas

bananas

/ (bəˈnɑːnəz) /

adjective

slang crazy (esp in the phrase go bananas)

banana

/ (bəˈnɑːnə) /

noun

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
the crescent-shaped fruit of any of these plantsCompare plantain 2

Word Origin for banana

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
Word Origin and History for bananas
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with bananas

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.