baobab

American  

[bay-oh-bab, bah-oh-, bau-bab] / ˈbeɪ oʊˌbæb, ˈbɑ oʊ-, ˈbaʊ bæb /

noun

• baobabs
  plural

1. any large tree belonging to the genus Adansonia, of the bombax family, especially A. digitata, which is native to tropical Africa, has an exceedingly thick trunk, and bears a gourdlike fruit.

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baobab British  

/ ˈbeɪəʊˌbæb /

noun

1. Also called: bottle tree, monkey bread tree. a bombacaceous tree, Adansonia digitata , native to Africa, that has a very thick trunk, large white flowers, and a gourdlike fruit with an edible pulp called monkey bread

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• baobabs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of baobab

First recorded in 1630–40, baobab is from the New Latin word bahobab, first cited in a description of the tree's fruit by Italian physician and botanist Prospero Alpini (1553–1616 or 17); origin obscure

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

baobab baobabs

They climb giant baobab trees to raid beehives for honey.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

They keep count as Raffy whacks a baobab fruit eight times or note which arm he uses to do so -- although chimps are normally left-handed.

From Barron's ● Jan. 15, 2026

Architect Paul R. Williams’ Guardian Angel Cathedral, which opened in the city in 1963, is cited as a design influence, as are the singular stocky trunk baobab trees of the African savanna.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025

They are calling for a higher conservation status for two endangered Malagasy species, including the biggest and most famous of Madagascar's baobabs, the giant baobab.

From BBC ● May 15, 2024

‘There’s a strange boy making rope out of baobab fiber. I walked past him several times, but he wouldn’t look up.’

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

The charismatic baobabs have astonishing growth forms, reaching huge sizes with massive trunks, but apparently diminutive crowns, giving them their iconic appearance as upside-down trees.

From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024

They are calling for a higher conservation status for two endangered Malagasy species, including the biggest and most famous of Madagascar's baobabs, the giant baobab.

From BBC ● May 15, 2024

They also investigated ecological factors that influenced the distribution of baobabs around Madagascar.

From New York Times ● May 15, 2024

Mr. Patrut thinks that the oldest baobabs are around 2,500 years old.

From NewsForKids.net ● Apr. 10, 2024

“She should be around here somewhere,” Trub says as he scans the forest of baobabs.

From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott

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