Definition of 'banana'

COBUILD frequency band

banana

(bənɑːnə

, -næn-

)

Word forms: plural bananas

1. variable noun A1

Bananas are long curved fruit with yellow skins.

...a bunch of bananas.

2. adjective [verb-link ADJECTIVE]

If someone is behaving in a silly or crazy way, or if they become extremely angry, you can say that they are going bananas.

[informal]

People went bananas with boredom.

Adamson's going to go bananas on this one.

Image of
banana

British English pronunciation

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American English pronunciation

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banana in British English

(bəˈnɑːnə

)

noun

any of several tropical and subtropical herbaceous treelike plants of the musaceous genus Musa, esp M. sapientum, a widely cultivated species propagated from suckers and having hanging clusters of edible fruit

the crescent-shaped fruit of any of these plants

Compare plantain2

Word origin

C16: from Spanish or Portuguese, of African origin

COBUILD frequency band

banana in American English

(bəˈnænə )

nounOrigin: Sp & Port < native name in W Africa, as in Mande banäna

any of a genus (Musa) of treelike tropical plants of the banana family, with long, broad leaves and large clusters of edible fruit; esp., any of the various hybrids widely cultivated in the Western Hemisphere

the long, curved fruit of these plants which usually has a soft, sweet, whitish pulp and a thick, usually yellowish skin

plantain2

adjective

designating a family (Musaceae, order Zingiberales) of monocotyledonous tropical plants, including heliconia and bird of paradise

COBUILD frequency band

banana in American English

(bəˈnænə)

noun

a tropical plant of the genus Musa, certain species of which are cultivated for their nutritious fruit

Compare banana family

the fruit, esp. that of M. paradisiaca, with yellow or reddish rind

Word origin

[1590–1600; ‹ Sp ‹ Pg (perh. via Sp); akin to various words for banana or plantain in WAfr languages (e.g., Wolof, Malinke banana, Vai (Mande language of Liberia) bana), but ultimate source and direction of borrowing uncert.]

COBUILD frequency band

banana in Hospitality

(bənænə)

Word forms: (regular plural) bananas

noun

(Hospitality (hotel): Food and drink, fruit)

Bananas are long curved fruit with yellow skins.

The plate of fruit contains a bunch of bananas, grapefruit, and oranges.

The bananas have turned from yellow to brown.

He carried a tray with a bunch of bananas and other fruit on it.

Examples of 'banana' in a sentence
banana

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The crowd at this high-school basketball game went bananas.For me, that is like comparing apples to bananas.You can make me some banana cake.Now you are eating a banana.Sometimes a banana is just a banana.We finished with toffee apples and toffee bananas. Store your bananas in a fruit bowl and not the fridge to make them last longer.But will the judges go bananas for them?But do think the world has gone bananas.It could have potentially been a banana skin.

Word lists with
banana

fruit tree

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1

Score: 0 / 5

Which tree am I?

any of several Australian eucalyptus trees that have hard rough bark

blackbutt ironbark paperbark

Which tree am I?

a moraceous tree, Ficus benghalensis, of tropical India and the East Indies, having aerial roots that grow down into the soil forming additional trunks

banyan fig mangrove

Which tree am I?

any of several low shrubby eucalyptus trees that flourish in desert regions of Australia

flooded gum mallee paperbark

Which tree am I?

any of various thorny trees or shrubs of the N temperate rosaceous genus Crataegus, esp C. oxyacantha, having white or pink flowers and reddish fruits (haws)

elder hawthorn silky oak

Which tree am I?

any coniferous shrub or small tree of the genus Juniperus, of the N hemisphere, having purple berry-like cones. The cones of J. communis (common or dwarf juniper) are used as a flavouring in making gin

elder juniper pine

Your score: