n.1 a long curved fruit with soft pulpy flesh and yellow skin when ripe, growing in clusters.
2 (in full banana-tree) the tropical and subtropical treelike plant, Musa sapientum, bearing this.
Phrases and idioms:
banana republic derog. a small State, esp. in Central America, dependent on the influx of foreign capital. banana skin
1. the skin of a banana.
2 a cause of upset or humiliation; a blunder. banana split a sweet dish made with split bananas, ice-cream, sauce, etc. go bananas sl. become crazy or angry.
Etymology: Port. or Sp., f. a name in Guinea