n. (also banian) 1 an Indian fig tree, Ficus benghalensis, the branches of which hang down and root themselves. 2 a Hindu trader. 3 a loose flannel jacket, shirt, or gown worn in India.
[ Port. banian f. Gujarati vaniyo man of trading caste, f. Skr.: applied orig. to one such tree under which banyans had built a pagoda ]