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Webster 1913 Edition
Banana
Ba-na′na
(bȧ-nä′nȧ; 277)
, Noun.
[Sp.
banana
, name of the fruit.] (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.
Banana bird
(Zool.)
, a small American bird (
– Icterus leucopteryx
), which feeds on the banana. Banana quit
(Zool.)
, a small bird of tropical America, of the genus
Certhiola
, allied to the creepers.Webster 1828 Edition
Banana
BAN'ANA
,Noun.
The fruit is four or five inches long, and an inch or more in diameter; the pulp soft and of a luscious taste. When ripe, it is eaten raw, or fried in slices. Bananas grow in large bunches weighing a dozen pounds or more. This tree is the native of tropical countries, and on many isles, constitutes an important article of food.