banana
buh-NAH-nuh
Banana (noun) means a long curved tropical fruit with soft flesh and a peelable yellow skin. Example: “I packed a banana and a sandwich for my lunch.”
noun
1
A long curved tropical fruit with soft flesh and a peelable yellow skin.
"I packed a banana and a sandwich for my lunch."
"She sliced a banana into her cereal."
"Bananas are a good source of potassium."
2
The tall tropical plant that produces this fruit.
"Each banana plant produces fruit only once before it is cut down."
"A banana can grow taller than a house in warm, damp climates."
"They planted banana trees along the back fence."
How to use banana
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe common yellow tropical fruit, or the plant that grows it.
Common pairings
banana peel
banana split
banana republic
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Word forms
- Plural
- bananas
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I packed a _____ and a sandwich for my lunch.
Etymology
Borrowed via Portuguese and Spanish from a West African language, possibly Wolof; the exact origin is debated.
Synonyms
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banana tree
Rhymes for banana
See all rhymes for banana →Frequently asked questions
What does “banana” mean?
The word “banana” means a long curved tropical fruit with soft flesh and a peelable yellow skin. In plain terms, the common yellow tropical fruit, or the plant that grows it.
How do you pronounce “banana”?
“Banana” is pronounced buh-NAH-nuh (/bəˈnæ.nə/ in IPA).
How do you use “banana” in a sentence?
Here is “banana” used in a sentence: “She sliced a banana into her cereal.”
What part of speech is “banana”?
“Banana” is a noun.
Where does the word “banana” come from?
The word “banana” comes from Spanish. Borrowed via Portuguese and Spanish from a West African language, possibly Wolof; the exact origin is debated.
Is “banana” a common word?
“Banana” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “banana” have?
“Banana” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a long curved tropical fruit with soft flesh and a peelable yellow skin.
Is a banana a fruit or a berry?
Both. In everyday language a banana is a long curved tropical fruit, and in botanical terms it is classified as a berry because it develops from a single flower with one ovary. So "fruit" is correct in ordinary usage and "berry" is correct scientifically.
Is a banana plant a tree?
No. Although banana plants grow tall and look like trees, the "trunk" is actually a pseudostem made of tightly packed leaf bases, so botanists class the banana as a large herbaceous plant. Calling it a banana tree is common and perfectly acceptable in casual speech.
What is the difference between a banana and a plantain?
Plantains are starchier, less sweet relatives of the dessert banana and are usually cooked before eating, while bananas are typically eaten raw when ripe. The two look similar, but plantains tend to be larger and thicker-skinned. In some regions the names are used interchangeably for cooking varieties.
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