Definition of "banana" []

• Any of several treelike Asian herbs of the genus Musa, especially M. acuminata, having a terminal crown of large, entire leaves and a hanging cluster of fruits. (noun)
• The elongated, edible fruit of these plants, having a thick yellowish to reddish skin and white, aromatic, seedless pulp. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "They contain vitamins and tasty sugars, and the word banana comes from an Arab-language word, banan, which means “finger.”"
• "‡ The term banana republic is often used in a disparaging sense; it suggests an unstable government."
• "Gives a whole new meaning to the name "banana spider"."