banian
9.9
A loose comfortable jacket worn indoors, originally from India
- noun
- /ˈbæn.jən/
- Archaic
:
banyán
- In the cooler months, she often layered a turtleneck under her banian for warmth.
Examples
-
He came eagerly to the open door of No. 312 when we knocked, tugging his banian down over his belly.
Fiction book (1998) -
She wanted him to go out and buy a mundu and banian for Moorthy.
Fiction book (2002) -
He wore a comfortable banian while relaxing at home on a rainy afternoon.
-
During the party, many guests sported colorful banian jackets, adding to the festive atmosphere.
Synonyms
9.8
A loose, comfortable robe worn at home, often by men
is the same garment but later adopted in Europe as informal indoor wear
Compounds
banian tree
- Archaic
9.9
A large Indian tree that grows new trunks from roots hanging down and spreads over a wide area
Surface Forms
Etymology
Banian comes from an Indian word baniya that means 'merchant' or 'trader'. Traders in India often wore a loose cotton jacket, and Europeans began to call that garment a banian, which is why today a banian is a kind of loose indoor jacket or gown.
