*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Banu

* As an Islamic surname (Indian subcontinent), from Hindustani (Hindi बानू, बानो (bānū, bāno) / Urdu بانو (bānū, bānō)), from Persian بانو (bānū, bānō, “lady”), variant of Bano. * Borrowed from Bengali বানু (banu), a sur

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A surname.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

* As an Islamic surname (Indian subcontinent), from Hindustani (Hindi बानू, बानो (bānū, bāno) / Urdu بانو (bānū, bānō)), from Persian بانو (bānū, bānō, “lady”), variant of Bano. * Borrowed from Bengali বানু (banu), a surname predominantly found in Bangladesh and West Bengal, probably related to the above. * Borrowed from Romanian Banu, from the medieval title ban; see Ban.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "inc-hnd",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Hindustani"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hi",
        "3": "बानू, बानो"
      },
      "expansion": "Hindi बानू, बानो (bānū, bāno)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ur",
        "3": "بانو",
        "tr": "bānū, bānō"
      },
      "expansion": "Urdu بانو (bānū, bānō)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa",
        "3": "بانو",
        "tr": "bānū, bānō",
        "t": "lady"
      },
      "expansion": "Persian بانو (bānū, bānō, “lady”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bn",
        "3": "বানু"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Bengali বানু (banu)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ro",
        "3": "Banu"
      },
      "expansion": "Romanian Banu"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Indian subcontinent",
      "Indian subcontinent"
    ],
    [
      "बानू",
      "बानू#Hindi"
    ],
    [
      "बानो",
      "बानो#Hindi"
    ],
    [
      "بانو",
      "بانو#Urdu"
    ],
    [
      "بانو",
      "بانو#Persian"
    ],
    [
      "Bano",
      "Bano#English"
    ],
    [
      "বানু",
      "বানু#Bengali"
    ],
    [
      "Bangladesh",
      "Bangladesh"
    ],
    [
      "West Bengal",
      "West Bengal"
    ],
    [
      "Banu",
      "Banu#Romanian"
    ],
    [
      "ban",
      "ban#Romanian"
    ],
    [
      "Ban",
      "Ban#Romanian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "29b7cdf2ca2e866258396cf53a7ced7f9c3327abbf6a4215488776b8f852e776",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6e9836aeca659cc005f5e3704dab025db44f548d2b18bdb866ed9036c84891b9",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2814057
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Banu →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-QmFudQ