banana

Where does the word "banana" come from? It comes from Wolof banana, passing through Portuguese/Spanish before entering English (c. 1600s).

Banana’s story begins in Wolof: banana meant “banana.” A West African word for the fruit, encountered by Portuguese traders. By c. 1600s, the word had taken hold in Portuguese/Spanish as banana. Carried into Europe via West African coastal trade. It reached English by c. 1600s as banana. Adopted unchanged from Iberian traders. Today, banana means a long curved fruit with soft flesh and a yellow skin.

1. Stage 1 · Wolof · c. 1500s banana "banana", a West African word for the fruit, encountered by Portuguese traders.
2. Stage 2 · Portuguese/Spanish · c. 1600s banana "banana", carried into Europe via West African coastal trade.
3. Stage 3 · English · c. 1600s banana "the banana fruit", adopted unchanged from Iberian traders.