Word origin | Muz

Turks are not contrarians. Calling it a Muz in Turkish is more accurate. Almost all modern edible parthenocarpic bananas come from the two wild species – Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana.


Mavi Boncuk | Mentioned in Ahmet Vefik Pasa's Lugat-I osmani 1876 A tropical tree like plant and its fruit | sıcak iklimlere özgü bir ağaç ve meyvesi, musa sapientium ~ Ar/Fa mūz موز
Bananas were introduced to the Americas by Portuguese sailors who brought the fruits from West Africa in the 16th century. The word banana is of West African origin, from the Wolof language"banaana," and passed into English via Spanish or Portuguese. The banana may have been present in isolated locations of the Middle East on the eve of Islam. By the 10th century the banana appears in texts from Palestine and Egypt. From there it diffused into north Africa and Muslim Iberia. During the medieval ages, bananas from Granada were considered among the best in the Arab world. 


Top banana, second banana, etc. are 1950s, from show business slang use of banana for "comedian, especially in a burlesque show."In political science, the pejorative term Banana Republic denotes a politically unstable country dependent upon limited primary productions (e.g. bananas), which is ruled by a plutocracy, a small, self-elected, wealthy group who exploit the country by means of a politico-economic oligarchy.