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View synonyms for banana

banana

[ buh-nan-uh ]

noun

  1. a tropical plant of the genus Musa, certain species of which are cultivated for their nutritious fruit. Compare banana family.
  2. the fruit, especially that of M. paradisiaca, with yellow or reddish rind.


banana

/ bəˈnɑːnə /

noun

  1. 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
  2. the crescent-shaped fruit of any of these plants Compare plantain 2
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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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

Produce like strawberries, avocados and bananas are especially susceptible to price hikes, Cornell said.

From Salon

He’s got too much on his mind to allow this monkey to really go bananas, and his indecision makes the movie’s nihilistic viewpoint feel all the more hollow and forced.

From Salon

The company encouraged customers who had purchased the bowls, which include berries, bananas, granola and dried coconut, to throw them out or return them.

They would identify the smell of bananas, garlic, licorice, fish and so on, while the researchers took recordings of the activity of individual neurons in their piriform cortex and medial temporal lobe.

From Salon

Their unique, curved architecture, designed to make use of limited space, earned them the "banana flats" nickname.

From BBC

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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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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banalizebanana belt