banana

UK /bəˈnɑː.nə/ US /bəˈnæn.ə/ Syllables: ba-na-na

Pronunciation

Noun A1 Beginner Neutral

A long, curved fruit with a thick yellow peel and soft flesh inside.

A banana is a long, curved fruit with a thick yellow peel and soft, sweet flesh inside. It grows in large bunches on a tall plant in warm countries. A banana is easy to carry and eat, and it is popular as a snack, in smoothies and on cereal. A green banana is not ripe, and a brown-spotted one is very sweet. The word is used in the phrase go bananas, which means to become very excited or crazy.

"He grabbed a banana on his way out the door."

Example sentences

"She ate a banana for breakfast."

Level A1
"We bought a bunch of bananas at the market."

Level A1
"He slipped on a banana peel."

Level A2
"The kids went bananas when they saw the cake."

Level B2

Look-alikes and common mistakes

plantain : A plantain is like a banana but is starchy and is usually cooked. A banana is sweet and eaten raw.
apple : An apple is round and crisp. A banana is long, soft and sweet.

Word family and forms

Forms: bananas

banana peel banana bread banana split banana tree

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "banana".

a ripe banana
banana bread
a bunch of bananas
peel a banana
a banana split
go bananas

Idioms and phrases

go bananas: To become very excited, angry or crazy.; "The crowd went bananas when the team scored."

Origin

Banana came into English in the 1590s from Spanish and Portuguese, which took it from a word in a West African language, perhaps Wolof or Malinke. Dictionaries do not agree on the exact source.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

Usage notes

To go bananas is an informal way of saying to become very excited or angry.

How to remember it

Banana has three a's and three syllables: ba-na-na. The fruit is also the one that is easy to peel.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "She ate a _____ for breakfast."

Answer: banana

In your own words, what does "banana" mean?