banana

[ buh-nan-uh ]

/ bəˈnæn ə /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR banana ON THESAURUS.COM

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH banana

banana plantain¹

Words nearby banana

banach space, banak, banal, banality, banalize, banana, banana belt, banana bender, banana family, banana oil, banana plug

Example sentences from the Web for banana

Trista goes about making the shake, mashing up a banana, adding cherry syrup, a bit of milk, and soft-serve ice cream.

The Most American Pit Stop in the U.S.A. |Jane & Michael Stern |July 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
She also recommends the banana split shake: strawberry, chocolate, and a mashed banana.

The Most American Pit Stop in the U.S.A. |Jane & Michael Stern |July 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“To say the there's a split in the Republican Party is to give the banana split a bad name,” said Winter.

Sam Brownback’s Kansas Catastrophe |Patricia Murphy |July 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Several varieties of banana grow here, and mango season on the island is huge.

A Magical Meal at Louie’s Backyard in the Conch Republic |Jane & Michael Stern |July 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Rhode Island Reds will not eat melon rinds, banana peels, orange skins, pickles, or onions, F.Y.I.

What Did TJ Mean By “Pursuit of Happiness,” Anyway? |P. J. O’Rourke |June 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The small planter does the curing upon mats of sticks, boards, palm or banana leaves raised somewhat above the ground.

Birds and all Nature, Vol. V, No. 2, February 1899 |Various
If a string breaks or becomes useless it is only a question of cutting down a banana stalk and stripping it for a new one.

Negritos of Zambales |William Allan Reed
In one range of cacao trees a banana is placed between two cacaos, and an erythrina between the two following.

The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom |P. L. Simmonds
Every grain and banana would have to be purchased henceforward.

In Darkest Africa, Vol. 2; or, The quest, rescue and retreat of Emin, governor of Equatoria |Henry Morton Stanley
And then they had gone to a plantation and fetched from there a banana tree, with a huge bunch of ripe bananas on it.

The Wonders of the Jungle |Prince Sarath Ghosh

British Dictionary definitions for banana

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 plants Compare plantain 2

Word Origin for banana

C16: from Spanish or Portuguese, of African origin

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

banana

noun

Origin of banana

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH banana

Words nearby banana

Example sentences from the Web for banana

British Dictionary definitions for banana

noun

Word Origin for banana

Idioms and Phrases with banana

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

banana

noun

Origin of banana

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH banana

Words nearby banana

Words related to banana

Example sentences from the Web for banana

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for banana

noun

Word Origin for banana

Idioms and Phrases with banana

British Dictionary definitions for banana