any small, typically Latin American, country characterized by political instability and a one-crop economy controlled by foreign capital
Origin of banana republic
coined by O. Henry in his short-story collection Cabbages and Kings (1904)banana republic
banana republicWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"banana republic." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 31 May 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/banana-republic>.
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banana republic. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/banana-republic
banana republic
noun
A small country that is economically dependent on a single export commodity, such as bananas, and is typically governed by a dictator or the armed forces.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"banana republic." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 31 May 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/banana-republic>.
APA Style
banana republic. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/banana-republic
Noun
(plural banana republics)
- (politics, idiomatic) A small country, especially one in Central America, that is dependent on a single export commodity (traditionally bananas) and that has a corrupt, dictatorial government.
Origin
Coined by American author O. Henry in his 1904 book of short stories, "Cabbages and Kings", set in the fictional "Anchuria", which was based on his 1896-97 stay in Honduras.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"banana republic." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 31 May 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/banana-republic>.
APA Style
banana republic. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/banana-republic
