ban

v. i. To curse; to swear. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Serv. ban; cf. Russ. & Pol. pan a master, lord, Per. ban. ] An ancient title of the warden of the eastern marches of Hungary; now, a title of the viceroy of Croatia and Slavonia. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Banned p. pr. & vb. n. Banning. ] [ OE. bannen, bannien, to summon, curse, AS. bannan to summon; akin to Dan. bande, forbande, to curse, Sw. banna to revile, bannas to curse. See Ban an edict, and cf. Banish. ] 1. To curse; to invoke evil upon. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To forbid; to interdict. Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. A kind of fine muslin, made in the East Indies from the fiber of the banana leaf stalks. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F., fr. ban an ordinance. ] Commonplace; trivial; hackneyed; trite. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Banalities [ F. banalité. See Banal. ] Something commonplace, hackneyed, or trivial; the commonplace, in speech. [ 1913 Webster ]

The highest things were thus brought down to the banalities of discourse. J. Morley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp. banana, name of the fruit. ] (Bot.) A perennial herbaceous plant of almost treelike size (Musa sapientum); also, its edible fruit. See Musa. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The banana has a soft, herbaceous stalk, with leaves of great length and breadth. The flowers grow in bunches, covered with a sheath of a green or purple color; the fruit is five or six inches long, and over an inch in diameter; the pulp is soft, and of a luscious taste, and is eaten either raw or cooked. This plant is a native of tropical countries, and furnishes an important article of food. [ 1913 Webster ]

Banana bird (Zool.), a small American bird (Icterus leucopteryx), which feeds on the banana. --
Banana quit (Zool.), a small bird of tropical America, of the genus Certhiola, allied to the creepers. [ 1913 Webster ]

. A solution used as a vehicle in applying bronze pigments. In addition to acetote, benzine, and a little pyroxylin, it contains amyl acetate, which gives it the odor of bananas. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]