A tree of the same genus as the common fig, and called the Indian fig (Ficus Indica), whose branches send shoots to the ground, which take root and become additional trunks, until it may be the tree covers some acres of ground and is able to shelter thousands of men.
With their immense thatch of foliage and aerial roots, banyans are venerated as shade trees and were planted as a respite against the Indian sun. Their timber is not used in the making of furniture.
East Indian tree that puts out aerial shoots that grow down into the soil forming additional trunks
Banyan Party An old Naval name for a picnic party, especially nowadays by bus. The word "Banyan" originates from the time when, as an economy, meat was not issued on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays: these days were called "Banyan Days" after a religious sect in the East which believed it wicked to eat meat. It became the custom for men to save up portions of their rations to tide them over these meatless days, and also to be sent ashore on those days to gather fruit. Meatless days were discontinued in 1884.
on , "unusually shaped tree of the fig genus in the mulberry family (Moraceae) native to tropical Asia. Aerial roots that develop from its branches descend and take root in the soil to become new trunks. The banyan reaches a height up to 30 metres (100 feet) and spreads laterally indefinitely. One tree may in time assume the appearance of a very dense thicket as a result of the tangle of roots and trunks. "; also, "One specimen 600 metres in circumference has been estimated as being capable of sheltering 20,000 people." [Encyclopædia Britannica; see cue/www= britannica.com] ( language=BAnglA)
large, spreading fig-like tree
A barbecue or party, usually with steaks and beer. The term is derived from ‘banian', a garment worn by an East Indian sect which neither kills nor eats meat (‘Banyan' is a species of tree). In the 18th century, the British navy denied its sailors meat on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; these days were known as ‘banian (or Banyan) days.' The term has now come to mean just the opposite.
Banyan Systems, Inc. was founded in 1983 by David C. Mahoney, a software engineer and mid-level manager at Data General, and Anand Jagannathan. The company's distinctive logo, a Banyan tree, and the logo's allegorical representation of Banyan's product suite, VINES, were conceived by Jagannathan.
