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.
Etymology: Port. banian f. Gujarati vaniyo man of trading caste, f. Skr.: applied orig. to one such tree under which banyans had built a pagoda