A merchant, trader, or member of the traditional merchant class in India and South Asia; also spelled banya or banyan.
From Hindi 'baniyā' or Sanskrit 'vaṇij,' referring to merchants and tradespeople. The word entered English during the colonial period through Indian English.
The word 'bania' appears in English literature from the 1600s onward, showing how English absorbed vocabulary from the places it colonized—this word is older in English than many we assume are native!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.