bamboo

[ bam-boo ]

noun,plural bam·boos.
  1. any of the woody or treelike tropical and semitropical grasses of the genera Bambusa, Phyllostachys, Dendrocalamus, and allied genera, having woody, usually hollow stems with stalked blades and flowering only after years of growth.

  2. the stem of such a plant, used as a building material and for making furniture, poles, etc.

Origin of bamboo

1
1590–1600; spelling variant of earlier bambu<Malay, apparently <Dravidian; compare Kannada bambu, bombu a large, hollow bam-boo (or directly < Dravidian); replacing bambus<Dutch bamboes; compare New Latin bambūsa

Words Nearby bamboo

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How to use bamboo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bamboo

bamboo

/ (bæmˈbuː) /


noun
  1. any tall treelike tropical or semitropical fast-growing grass of the genus Bambusa, having hollow woody-walled stems with ringed joints and edible young shoots (bamboo shoots)

  2. the stem of any of these plants, used for building, poles, and furniture

  1. any of various bamboo-like grasses of the genera Arundinaria, Phyllostachys or Dendrocalamus

  2. (modifier) made of bamboo: a bamboo fence

Origin of bamboo

1
C16: probably from Malay bambu

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