banyan
or ban·ian
[ ban-yuhn ]
/ ˈbæn yən /
noun
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.
Also bania [ban-yuh], /ˈbæn yə/, baniya [ban-yuh, -ee-uh] /ˈbæn yə, -i ə/ . (in India)
- a Hindu trader or merchant of a particular caste, the rules of which forbid eating flesh.
- a loose shirt, jacket, or gown.
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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
Words nearby banyan
Bantu, Bantu beer, Bantustan, Banville, banyalla, banyan, Banyana Banyana, banzai, banzai attack, bao, baobab
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for banyan
British Dictionary definitions for banyan
banyan
banian
/ (ˈbænjən) /
noun
a moraceous tree, Ficus benghalensis, of tropical India and the East Indies, having aerial roots that grow down into the soil forming additional trunks
a member of the Hindu merchant caste of N and W India
a loose-fitting shirt, jacket, or robe, worn originally in India
Word Origin for banyan
C16: from Hindi baniyā, from Sanskrit vānija merchant
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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