Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

banana

Pronunciation: /bəˈnɑːnə/
Translate banana | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of banana

noun

  • 1a long curved fruit which grows in clusters and has soft pulpy flesh and yellow skin when ripe: a bunch of bananas
  • 2 (also banana plant or banana tree) the tropical and subtropical palm-like plant which bears bananas, having very large leaves but lacking a woody trunk.
    • Genus Musa, family Musaceae: several species, in particular M. sapientum

Phrases

go (or be) bananas

informal
become (or be) mad or extremely silly: everyone’s beginning to think I’m bananas
become extremely angry or excited:she went bananas when I said I was going to leave the job

top (or second) banana

informal the most (or second most) important person in an organization: a top banana of the Mafia

Origin:

late 16th century: via Portuguese or Spanish from Mande

banana in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of banana in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

More words in this category

Oxford Dictionaries Pro

For Oxford's best resources for writers, plus thesaurus, audio, and 1.9m examples.

GET PRO ►

Shop for an Oxford dictionary
Find the perfect Oxford dictionary for you in our online shop.
SHOP NOW ►

Word of the day

monocular

/ məˈnɒkjʊlə /
adjective , noun
with, for, or in one eye …