banana (English)

Where does "banana" come from?

The word 'banana' entered English from Portuguese and Spanish, though its ultimate origin is traced to languages in the West African Guinea region. While the specific ancestor is debated, the term may be linked to regional words like the Wolof 'banaana' or even the Arabic 'banān,' meaning 'fingertip.' In English, the word eventually shifted from describing the fruit to describing a curved shape, such as the flight path of a ball.

Full etymology tree

• banana (English), 'Curved like a banana, especially of a ball in flight.'
  • borrowed banana (Portuguese), 'banana (fruit)'
    • inherited Niger-Congo language (Niger-Congo language)
      • inherited banaana (Wolof), 'banana (fruit)'
      • inherited banana (Eastern Maninkakan)
      • inherited ꕒꘌꕯ (ɓaana) (Vai)
      • influence بَنَان (banān) (Arabic), 'the fingertips or fingers'
        • inherited ب و ن (b w n) (Arabic)
  • borrowed banana (Spanish), 'banana (fruit)'
    • inherited Niger-Congo language (Niger-Congo language)
      • inherited banaana (Wolof), 'banana (fruit)'
        • influence banana (Portuguese), 'banana (fruit)'
      • inherited banana (Eastern Maninkakan)
      • inherited ꕒꘌꕯ (ɓaana) (Vai)
      • influence بَنَان (banān) (Arabic), 'the fingertips or fingers'
        • inherited ب و ن (b w n) (Arabic)

Direct ancestors

• banana (Portuguese)
• banana (Spanish)
• banaana (Wolof)
• banaana (Wolof)
• banana (Portuguese)

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris