The Collaborative International Dictionary
Musae
Musa \Mu"sa\, prop. n.; pl. Mus[ae]. [NL., fr. Ar. mauz, mauza, banana.] (Bot.) A genus of perennial, herbaceous, endogenous plants of great size, including the banana ( Musa sapientum), the plantain ( Musa paradisiaca of Linn[ae]us, but probably not a distinct species), the Abyssinian ( Musa Ensete), the Philippine Island ( Musa textilis, which yields Manila hemp), and about eighteen other species. See Illust. of Banana and Plantain.