bamboo

[ bam-boo ]
/ bæmˈbu /

noun, plural bam·boos.

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

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Origin of bamboo

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

Bamberger-Marie disease, Bamberger's sign, Bambi, bambino, bambocciata, bamboo, bamboo curtain, bamboo hair, bamboo network, bamboo shoots, bamboo turning
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for bamboo

British Dictionary definitions for bamboo

bamboo
/ (bæmˈbuː) /

noun

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)
the stem of any of these plants, used for building, poles, and furniture
any of various bamboo-like grasses of the genera Arundinaria, Phyllostachys or Dendrocalamus
(modifier) made of bambooa bamboo fence

Word Origin for bamboo

C16: probably from Malay bambu
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012