BANYAN

banyan, banian

(noun) a loose fitting jacket; originally worn in India

banyan, banyan tree, banian, banian tree, Indian banyan, East Indian fig tree, Ficus bengalensis

(noun) East Indian tree that puts out aerial shoots that grow down into the soil forming additional trunks

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

banyan (plural banyans)

An Indian trader, merchant, cashier, or money changer.

A tropical Indian fig tree, Ficus benghalensis, that has many aerial roots.

A type of loose gown worn in India.

(India) A vest; an undershirt; a singlet.

(British, Naval slang, dated) A camping excursion on shore, to give a ship's crew a break from shipboard routine.

Synonyms

• (tropical Indian fig tree): banyan tree

Source: Wiktionary

Ban"yan, n. Etym: [See Banian.] (Bot.)

Definition: A tree of the same genus as the common fig, and called the Indian fig (Ficus Indica), whose branches send shoots to the ground, which take root and become additional trunks, until it may be the tree covers some acres of ground and is able to shelter thousands of men.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition