banian

[ ban-yuh n ]
/ ˈbæn yən /

noun

banyan.

Words nearby banian

bangui, bangweulu, banh mi, bani, bania, banian, banish, banister, banister back, banisters, banja luka

Definition for banian (2 of 2)

banyan

or ban·ian

[ ban-yuh n ]
/ 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, baniya. (in India)
  1. a Hindu trader or merchant of a particular caste, the rules of which forbid eating flesh.
  2. a loose shirt, jacket, or gown.

Origin of banyan

1590–1600; < Portuguese (perhaps < Arabic) < 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 from the Web for banian

British Dictionary definitions for banian (1 of 2)

banian
/ (ˈbænjən) /

noun

a variant spelling of banyan

British Dictionary definitions for banian (2 of 2)

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