banyan

or ban·ian

[ ban-yuhn ]

noun
  1. 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.

  2. Also ban·ia [ban-yuh], /ˈbæn yə/, ban·iya [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.

Origin of banyan

1
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

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British Dictionary definitions for banyan

banyan

banian

/ (ˈbænjən) /


noun
  1. a moraceous tree, Ficus benghalensis, of tropical India and the East Indies, having aerial roots that grow down into the soil forming additional trunks

  2. a member of the Hindu merchant caste of N and W India

  1. a loose-fitting shirt, jacket, or robe, worn originally in India

Origin of banyan

1
C16: from Hindi baniyā, from Sanskrit vānija merchant

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