English

edit
 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
 
Four different types of bananas. The larger yellow bananas on the far right are commercially dominant Cavendish bananas.

Etymology

edit

Borrowed from Portuguese banana or Spanish banana, derived from a Niger-Congo language spoken in the Guinea region.[1] Specific derivation is unclear. Possible ancestor or cognate languages include Wolof banaana, Eastern Maninkakan banana, and Vai ꕒꘌꕯ (ɓaana) or ꕒꕌꕯ (ɓaana).[2][3][4][5] However, Ay Baati Wolof (Munro & Gaye, 1997) posits that Wolof banaana is itself derived from Portuguese banana.[6]

The racial slur derives from the notion that they are "Yellow (East-Asian) on the outside, White (Westernized) on the inside".

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

banana (countable and uncountable, plural bananas)

  1. An elongated curved tropical fruit of a banana plant, which grows in bunches and has a creamy flesh and a smooth skin. [from 1597]
    • 2017, Sam Shepard, chapter 27, in Spy of the First Person, →ISBN, page 62:
      I'll need a few things. I'll need some mayonnaise and a silver tin of sardines, a banana.
    1. (Canada, US, UK, Ireland) In particular, the sweet, yellow fruit of the Cavendish banana cultivar, which may be eaten raw, as distinct from e.g. a plantain for cooking.
  2. The tropical tree-like plant which bears clusters of bananas, a plant of the genus Musa (but sometimes also including plants from Ensete), which has large, elongated leaves. [from 1697]
  3. (uncountable) A yellow colour, like that of a banana's skin. [from 1923]
    banana:  
  4. (derogatory, ethnic slur) A person of East or Southeast Asian descent, considered to be overly assimilated and subservient to white authority. [from 1970]
    Synonym: Twinkie
  5. (slang) The penis.
    • 1986, Christopher Street, Cop Feels of Three Men's "Privates"[10], volume 10:
      The fact that the cop bought O'Brien a beer after feeling of his banana suggests that it must have been a promising one
    • 2012, Sarah Miynowski, Fishbowl[11], page 36:
      His you-know-what turned soft .. his eight o'clock class was the last thing on his mind five minutes ago, when his banana wasn't overripe.
    • 2014, Anthony Bunko, Lord Forgive Me[12], page 71:
      Most of the gang were trying their best to shag the girls. One boy was sitting in a tree playing with himself and another was asking a table of teenagers if they would like to see his banana.
    • 2017, Intimate Relationships in Cinema, Literature and Visual Culture[13], page 234:
      He adds that after eating his banana (sucking his penis), he wants anal sex, but she asks him to lick her pussy. Then he tells her no because it is disgusting.
  6. (sports) A banana kick.
  7. (nuclear physics) A banana equivalent dose.
  8. (computer science, colloquial) A catamorphism (from the use of banana brackets in the notation).

Hypernyms

edit

Hyponyms

edit
  • (Asian assimilated into Western culture): jook-sing

Coordinate terms

edit

Derived terms

edit

Translations

edit

Adjective

edit

banana (not comparable)

  1. Curved like a banana, especially of a ball in flight.
    • 2001, Rayne Barton, The Green Hills Golf Chronicles, →ISBN, page 155:
      Even the lowly banana ball, the bane of so many weekenders, sometimes can be exactly right, as in this case.
    • 2002, Andrew Collins, Guild of Honor, →ISBN, page 53:
      He played the fading, low-banana shot as planned, and the ball whistled left of the oak tree and between the pines.
    • 2006, Richard Witzig, The Global Art of Soccer, →ISBN, page 247:
      [...]Bernd Schneider closed the scoring in injury-time with a 23 meter free-kick banana shot into the upper-right corner.

Hypernyms

edit

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ banana, n.”, in OED Online  , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
  2. ^ banana”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
  3. ^ banana”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
  4. ^ banana”, in Collins English Dictionary.
  5. ^ S.W. Koelle (1854) Outlines of a Grammar of the Vei Language: Together with a Vei-English Vocabulary[1], London Church Missionary House, page 144
  6. ^ Munro, Pamela, Gaye, Dieynaba (1997) Ay baati Wolof: A Wolof dictionary (UCLA Occasional Papers in Linguistics)‎[2], Los Angeles: Department of Linguistics, University of California, Los Angeles, →OCLC, page 15

Anagrams

edit

Asturian

edit

Pronunciation

edit
  • IPA(key): /baˈnana/, [baˈna.na]
  • Rhymes: -ana
  • Hyphenation: ba‧na‧na

Noun

edit

banana f (plural bananes)

  1. banana (fruit)
    Synonym: plátanu

Catalan

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

banana f (plural bananes)

  1. banana (fruit)
    Synonym: plàtan

Derived terms

edit

Further reading

edit

Cornish

edit

Etymology

edit

From English banana.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

banana m (plural bananas)

  1. banana

Mutation

edit

French

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Verb

edit

banana

  1. third-person singular past historic of bananer (to make a mistake)

Galician

edit

Pronunciation

edit
  • IPA(key): /baˈnana/ [baˈnã.nɐ]
  • Rhymes: -ana
  • Hyphenation: ba‧na‧na

Noun

edit

banana f (plural bananas)

  1. banana (fruit)
    Synonym: plátano
    Os chimpancés utilizan bastóns para coller unha banana.
    Chimpanzees use sticks to pick up a banana.
edit

Further reading

edit

Icelandic

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

banana

  1. definite accusative plural of bani
  2. inflection of banani:
    1. indefinite accusative
    2. indefinite dative singular
    3. indefinite genitive

Irish

edit

Etymology

edit

From Wolof banaana.

Pronunciation

edit
  • IPA(key): /bˠəˈn̪ˠan̪ˠə/

Noun

edit

banana m (genitive singular banana, nominative plural bananaí)

  1. banana

Declension

edit

Derived terms

edit

Mutation

edit
Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
banana bhanana mbanana
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

edit

Italian

edit
 
Italian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia it

Pronunciation

edit
  • IPA(key): /baˈna.na/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -ana
  • Hyphenation: ba‧nà‧na

Noun

edit

banana f (plural banane)

  1. banana (fruit)

Noun

edit

banana m (invariable)

  1. banana (color)

Adjective

edit

banana (invariable)

  1. banana (color)
edit

Japanese

edit

Romanization

edit

banana

  1. Rōmaji transcription of バナナ

Latin

edit

Noun

edit

banana f (genitive bananae); first declension

  1. (New Latin) banana
    Synonyms: (Classical Latin, rare) ariēna, (Medieval Latin) mūsa
    • 1619, Americæ pars undecima: Seu descriptio admirandi itineris a Guilielmo Schouten Hollando peracti: [], Oppenheim: Typis Hieronymi Galleri, page 41:
      Illi amicabiliter ad navem noſtram appellentes, tantum Cocorum ac Bananarum nobis obtulerunt numerum, ut quilibet in navi nuces 50. duos Bananarum corbes eo die lucraretur.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 1622, Antonio de Herrera [y Tordesillas], translated by C[aspar] Barlæus, Novus Orbis, Sive Descriptio Indiae Occidentalis, [], Amsterdam: Apud Michaelem Colinium Bibliopolam, ad insigne Libri Domestici, page 71:
      Tabaci, Cocorum, Bananarum, oryzæ, piſorum, fabarum, porcorum, gallinarum & piſcium nobis faciebant copiam.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 1832, Voyage de la corvette l’Astrolabe : Exécuté pár ordre du roi, pendant les années 1826-1827-1828-1829, sous le commandement de M. J. Dumont d’Urville, [], volume IV, Paris: J. Tastu, [], page 686:
      Hi Æthiopes monstrabant ut tormenta nostra exploderemus in canoas istas, sed significabatur ipsis, hoc à natura batava alienum, nocere inculpatis, si vero nos læderent, arma nobis data defensioni, nihilominus advolant amicè, adferentes tantam abundantiam cocorum et bananarum, quantam desiderabamus, ut socio unicuique quinquaginta nuces distribuerentur et duo fasciculi bananarum.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 1884, Francis William Newman, Rebilius Cruso: Robinson Crusoe, in Latin; a Book to Lighten Tedium to a Learner, London: Trübner & Co., [], page 56:
      Jam dactylos, bananas, cocos nuces, ananassas, uvas, ad libitum me habiturum spero: nimia me spes et nimia cupiditas festinavit. [] Modicum bananarum et dactylorum onus assumo: vescor quantum libet, bibo e rivulo, et, relictâ scaphâ, ascendo vallem.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 2010 January 21, Erik Collins, “Sample Lesson: Lesson plans for Capitulum VIII of Oerberg’s Lingua Latīna”, in LATIN 4770: Methods and Materials for Teaching Latin (The Official Wheelock’s Latin Series Website):
      Post mēnsam, delīnā tabernārium in tabernā, quī māla et bananās vendit.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

edit

First-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative banana bananae
Genitive bananae bananārum
Dative bananae bananīs
Accusative bananam bananās
Ablative bananā bananīs
Vocative banana bananae

Lower Sorbian

edit

Etymology

edit

From German Banane, ultimately from Wolof banaana.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

banana f inan

  1. banana

Declension

edit

References

edit
  • Starosta, Manfred (1999) “banana”, in Dolnoserbsko-nimski słownik / Niedersorbisch-deutsches Wörterbuch (in German), Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag
  • Lower Sorbian vocabulary. In: Haspelmath, M. & Tadmor, U. (eds.) World Loanword Database. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Maltese

edit

Etymology

edit

Borrowed from Italian banana, from Wolof banaana.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

banana m (collective, singulative banana, paucal bananiet)

  1. banana (fruit)

Portuguese

edit

Etymology

edit

Borrowed from a Niger-Congo language spoken in the Guinea region.[1][2] Further derivation is unclear. Possible ancestor or cognate languages include Wolof banaana, Eastern Maninkakan banana, and Vai ꕒꘌꕯ (ɓaana) or ꕒꕌꕯ (ɓaana).[3][4] However, Ay Baati Wolof (Munro & Gaye, 1997) posits that Wolof banaana is itself derived from Portuguese.[5]

Pronunciation

edit
 
  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /baˈnɐ̃.nɐ/, /bɐˈnɐ.nɐ/
    • (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /baˈnɐ.na/, /bɐˈnɐ.na/
 

Noun

edit

banana f (plural bananas)

  1. banana (fruit)
    As bananas são ricas em potássioBananas are high in potassium
  2. banana (plant)
    Synonym: (more common) bananeira
  3. (informal) penis
  4. (Brazil, informal) bras d'honneur (obscene gesture)
    Synonym: (Portugal) manguito

Descendants

edit
  • ? English: banana
  • French: banane
  • ? Spanish: banana

Noun

edit

banana m or f by sense (plural bananas)

  1. (derogatory, slang) wimp (a weak or unconfident person)
    Aquele rapaz é um banana!That guy is a wimp!

References

edit
  1. ^ Antenor Nascentes (1966) “banana”, in Dicionário Etimológico Resumido (Coleção Dicionários Especializados)‎[3], page 86
  2. ^ Academia das Ciências de Lisboa (2001–present) “banana”, in Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa[4]
  3. ^ banana”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
  4. ^ S.W. Koelle (1854) Outlines of a Grammar of the Vei Language: Together with a Vei-English Vocabulary[5], London Church Missionary House, page 144
  5. ^ Munro, Pamela, Gaye, Dieynaba (1997) Ay baati Wolof: A Wolof dictionary (UCLA Occasional Papers in Linguistics)‎[6], Los Angeles: Department of Linguistics, University of California, Los Angeles, →OCLC, page 15

Romanian

edit

Noun

edit

banana f

  1. definite singular nominative/accusative of banană (banana (fruit))

Sardinian

edit

Etymology

edit

From Spanish banana, from Wolof banaana.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

banana f (plural bananas)

  1. banana (fruit)

Serbo-Croatian

edit

Etymology

edit

From Spanish, from Portuguese, from Wolof banaana.

Pronunciation

edit
  • IPA(key): /banǎːna/
  • Hyphenation: ba‧na‧na

Noun

edit

banána f (Cyrillic spelling бана́на)

  1. banana

Declension

edit

References

edit
  • banana” in Hrvatski jezični portal

Spanish

edit

Etymology

edit

Derived from a Niger-Congo language spoken in the Guinea region,[1] probably through Portuguese banana.[2] Further derivation is unclear. Possible ancestor or cognate languages include Wolof banaana, Eastern Maninkakan banana, and Vai ꕒꘌꕯ (ɓaana) or ꕒꕌꕯ (ɓaana).[3][4] However, Ay Baati Wolof (Munro & Gaye, 1997) posits that Wolof banaana is itself derived from Portuguese banana.[5]

Pronunciation

edit
  • IPA(key): /baˈnana/ [baˈna.na]
  • Rhymes: -ana
  • Syllabification: ba‧na‧na

Noun

edit

banana f (plural bananas)

  1. (Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay) banana (fruit)
    Synonyms: plátano, guineo, cambur, banano

Usage notes

edit
  • banana may also be used in Spain, to differentiate from plátano (plantain); otherwise, plátano refers to either.

Derived terms

edit

Descendants

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Joan Coromines, José A. Pascual (1984) “banana”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (in Spanish), volumes I (A–Ca), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 484
  2. ^ “Etimología de BANANA”, in DECEL - Diccionario Etimológico Castellano en Línea[7], 2024
  3. ^ banana”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
  4. ^ S.W. Koelle (1854) Outlines of a Grammar of the Vei Language: Together with a Vei-English Vocabulary[8], London Church Missionary House, page 144
  5. ^ Munro, Pamela, Gaye, Dieynaba (1997) Ay baati Wolof: A Wolof dictionary (UCLA Occasional Papers in Linguistics)‎[9], Los Angeles: Department of Linguistics, University of California, Los Angeles, →OCLC, page 15

Further reading

edit

Tok Pisin

edit

Etymology

edit

From English banana.

Noun

edit

banana

  1. banana
    • 1995, John Verhaar, Toward a reference grammar of Tok Pisin: an experiment in corpus linguistics[14] (overall work in English), →ISBN, page 433:
      Mekim olsem pinis, orait tupela i planim taro na banana, na kumu, painap, kon, tomato, na kaukau tu.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Welsh

edit

Etymology

edit

From English banana, from Wolof banaana, via Portuguese and/or Spanish.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

banana f (plural bananas)

  1. banana

Synonyms

edit

Mutation

edit
Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
banana fanana manana unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.