# banyan day

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/banyan-day
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

In British naval tradition, a day of the week when galley kitchens served no meat on board ship.

## Examples

- The ship crew eats only vegetables on a banyan day.
- Because the ship ran low on supplies, the captain declared that Friday would be a banyan day.
- The sailors grumbled about the lack of meat, yet they accepted the tradition of the banyan day as a necessary measure for rationing.

## Origin

According to the OED, the term is borrowed from the Banyans in the East Indies, a caste that ate nothing that had life.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.