banyan
banyan Lexical Profile
banyan Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An Indian fig tree (Ficus benghalensis) or related tropical tree of the mulberry family Moraceae, native to the Indian subcontinent and characterized by aerial roots that grow downward from its branches into the soil to form additional supportive trunks.
"The ancient banyan in the village square had grown so wide that its canopy shaded the entire marketplace."
The small, round, reddish fig fruit (syconium) produced by the banyan tree, consumed primarily by birds and monkeys and occasionally used as famine food or in traditional medicine.
"Flocks of parakeets and fruit bats gathered in the upper branches to feed on the ripe banyans."
A loose, informal gown, jacket, or dressing robe worn by men and women in Europe and America during the 18th and early 19th centuries, styled after South Asian and East Asian garments.
"The portrait depicted the eighteenth-century scholar at his desk wearing a silk banyan over his waistcoat."
A Hindu merchant or trader from western India, historically known for adhering to a strict vegetarian diet and acting as a commercial broker in Indian Ocean trade.
"In the seventeenth century, European factors in Surat relied heavily on local banyans to negotiate spice purchases."
• Rhymes for banyan
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed via Portuguese from Gujarati 'vaṇiyo' (merchant), deriving from Sanskrit 'vaṇij' (trader). European travelers applied the name to the Indian fig tree after observing Hindu merchants gathering and conducting business under its expansive shade.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.