noun
banyan
BAN-yan
noun
1
A large Indian fig tree (Ficus benghalensis) whose branches send down aerial roots that grow into new trunks, letting a single tree spread over a huge area.
"A single banyan tree in Kolkata's botanical garden covers several acres and looks like an entire forest."
2
Historically, an Indian trader, merchant, or money-changer.
"European traders often relied on local banyans to handle currency exchange."
3
A loose, lightweight vest or undershirt, as it's called in South Asian English.
"He was sitting on the porch in just a banyan and shorts."
How to Use Banyan
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishBest known as the sprawling Indian fig tree with roots that hang down and take root themselves; also an older word for an Indian merchant or a light undershirt.
Word Forms
banyans plural
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A single _____ tree in Kolkata's botanical garden covers several acres and looks like an entire forest.
Etymology
From Portuguese baniano, from Arabic baniyān, ultimately from Sanskrit vāṇija ("merchant"). The tree itself was named after the Hindu merchants (banyans) who traditionally gathered and traded beneath one famous specimen near a port in Persia.