nanners
Bananas, said the country way, especially when somebody's talking pudding.
Also called nanner, 'nanner.
Updated September 24, 2026
nanners pronunciation
/NAN-erz/
Meaning
Nanners are just bananas. Appalachian and Southern speakers drop the first beat of banana and land on nanner or nanners. You'll hear it most around kids, kitchen talk, and nanner puddin', that soft Southern dessert layered with wafers and whipped cream. Same fruit. Different mouth.
How folks use it
- “Grab a couple nanners off the counter for the kids.”
- “Ain't nothin' left but scrapin's of that nanner puddin'.”
Origin and etymology
Aphetic form of banana: the unstressed ba- falls off in fast talk. Dictionary of American Regional English notes nanner and 'nanner in Southern and Appalachian speech. Related to other country shortenings like skeeter for mosquito. Exact first print date is fuzzy, but the sound pattern is old farm-table English.
Frequently asked questions
Is nanners a different fruit?
Nope. Same yellow bananas. Just how a lot of country folks say it.