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·iya []. (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.

banyan

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of banyan¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of banyan¹

C16: from Hindi baniyā , from Sanskrit vānija merchant

Example Sentences

The city’s iconic banyan tree, damaged but recuperating, remains off-limits.

From Los Angeles Times

Devotees gathered around the banyan tree, considered sacred, and watered it in Myanmar.

From Seattle Times

The constant hum of sewing machines has been replaced by a chorus of birdsong and the stubborn roots of banyan trees have worked their way under the concrete skeletons of buildings.

From BBC

A gold cuff thought to have been decoration on a royal stool is embossed with lavish foliate patterns suggestive of leaves on a kum tree, a type of banyan for which Kumasi is named.

From Los Angeles Times

The dense bamboo, tangled vines and banyan trees of the jungle, where men marched single-file in stifling tropical heat and humidity, was as much an enemy as the Japanese.

From New York Times