banana Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun any of several tropical and subtropical treelike herbs of the genus Musa having a terminal crown of large entire leaves and usually bearing hanging clusters of elongated fruits
    banana tree.
  2. noun elongated crescent-shaped yellow fruit with soft sweet flesh

WordNet

Ba*na"na noun
Etymology
Sp. banana, name of the fruit.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A perennial herbaceous plant of almost treelike size (Musa sapientum); also, its edible fruit. See Musa. ✍ The banana has a soft, herbaceous stalk, with leaves of great length and breadth. The flowers grow in bunches, covered with a sheath of a green or purple color; the fruit is five or six inches long, and over an inch in diameter; the pulp is soft, and of a luscious taste, and is eaten either raw or cooked. This plant is a native of tropical countries, and furnishes an important article of food.

Webster 1913