Etymology Map
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Banyan

5 stages from Sanskrit to English.

Today it means A large fig tree native to India that grows aerial roots from its branches, forming multiple trunks.

Where does the word "banyan" come from? It comes from Sanskrit vanij, passing through Gujarati, Arabic and Portuguese before entering English (1630s).

1
Stage 1 of 5
vanij
Sanskrit · ancient
"a merchant"
meant 'merchant, trader'
2
Stage 2 of 5
vaniyo
Gujarati · medieval
"a member of the trading caste"
named the Gujarati merchant caste
3
Stage 3 of 5
baniyan
Arabic · medieval
"a Hindu merchant"
Arab traders adopted the word for the Hindu merchants they dealt with
4
Stage 4 of 5
baniano
Portuguese · 16th c.
"a Hindu merchant"
Portuguese traders at Persian Gulf ports used the term
5
Stage 5 of 5
banyan
English · 1630s
"the sacred fig tree with aerial roots"
applied first to the merchants, then to the fig tree they traded and sheltered beneath at a Gulf port
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