banyan

American  

[ban-yuhn] / ˈbæn yən /

Or banian

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 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.

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banyan British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of banyan

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

Example Sentences

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

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2024

The constant hum of sewing machines has been replaced by a chorus of birdsong and the stubborn roots of banyan trees have worked their way under the concrete skeletons of buildings.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 • Apr. 17, 2024

The Ryukyuan Pygmy Squid, Idiosepius kijimuna, is named after the short, red-haired forest fairies that are said to live in the banyan trees of Okinawa.

From Science Daily • Oct. 24, 2023

The fire also decimated historic Front Street — home to restaurants, bars and tourist shops — and heavily damaged what is believed to be the United States’ largest banyan tree.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 7, 2023

The great drowned city of New Orleans didn’t come all at once, it came in portions: the sagging backs of shacks ripped open by banyan trees and cypress.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi