View synonyms for

banana

[ buh-nan-uh ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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.

banana

/ ��əˈ��ɑː��ə /

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

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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

Examples have not been reviewed.

For frosting: Mix butter, banana, lemon juice, and cream cheese well, then add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

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Last month, Malawi blocked imports of flour, rice, ginger, bananas and maize from Tanzania, and other countries, saying this was to protect local producers.

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South Africa has for years prohibited the entry of bananas from Tanzania.

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I had so many bananas in my backyard and coconuts when I was growing up.

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“It’s really bananas going back and forth like this,” said David Campanelli, president of global investment for the ad-buying firm Horizon Media.

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

banalize banana belt

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