banyan: Meaning and Definition of

ban•yan

Pronunciation: (ban'yun), [key]
— n.
  1. Also calledan 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. (in India)
    1. a Hindu trader or merchant of a particular caste, the rules of which forbid eating flesh.
    2. a loose shirt, jacket, or gown.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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