BANYAN


Meaning of BANYAN in English

/ban"yeuhn/ , n.

1. Also called banyan tree . an East Indian fig tree, Ficus benghalensis, of the mulberry family, having branches that send out adventitious roots to the ground and sometimes cause the tree to spread over a wide area.

2. Also, bania, baniya . (in India)

a. a Hindu trader or merchant of a particular caste, the rules of which forbid eating flesh.

b. a loose shirt, jacket, or gown.

Also, banian .

[ 1590-1600;

vaniyo (sing.) or vaniya (pl.) member of the merchant caste (cf. Prakrit vaniaya, Skt vanija trader); the tree is said to have taken its name from a particular tree of the species near which merchants had built a booth; source of final nasal uncert. ]

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .