Ba*na"na (b&adot;*nä"n&adot;; 277), n. [Sp. banana, name of the fruit.]
(Bot.) A perennial herbaceous plant of almost treelike size (Musa sapientum); also, its edible fruit. See Musa.
&fist; 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 (Zoöl.), a small American bird (Icterus leucopteryx), which feeds on the banana. -- Banana quit (Zoöl.), a small bird of
tropical America, of the genus Certhiola, allied to the
creepers.
Hear it pronounced