Banyan
/ˈbæn.jən/noun
A tropical fig tree that develops aerial roots which grow into supporting trunks.
Did you know?European travelers borrowed the word from a South Asian term for merchants, because Gujarati traders commonly conducted business beneath these trees.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wenh₁-
“To strive, desire, or seek gain; a proposed ancestral root connected with later words for winning and exchange.”
Ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
vaṇij
“Merchant or trader.”
Medieval Gujarati
Gujarati
vāṇiyo / vāṇiyā
“A merchant, especially a member of a trading community.”
16th Century
Portuguese
banian
“A merchant; the term was encountered in India and applied to the tree associated with such traders.”
17th Century
English
banyan
“A name for the Indian fig tree, whose spreading branches form additional supporting trunks.”
Modern English
English
banyan
“A tropical fig tree, especially Ficus benghalensis, recognized for its aerial-root architecture.”