baobab

[ bey-oh-bab, bah-oh-, bou-bab ]

noun

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.

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

Words Nearby baobab

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use baobab in a sentence

You can also support the primates by becoming a co-owner of a baobab tree at Reniala, complete with co-ownership title.
A virtual menagerie: How conservation and rescue efforts can connect us with wildlife around the world | Andrea Sachs | January 15, 2021 | Washington Post
In the past week, I have driven nearly 11,000 miles from London to Mongolia, walked the Amazon from top to bottom and sat under a baobab tree in Senegal, listening to chirping birds.
With travel podcasts, explore the world through your ear buds | Andrea Sachs | December 11, 2020 | Washington Post
As all know, the mowana, or baobab, is one of the largest of trees; specimens being met with having a girth of nearly 100 feet.
The Vee-Boers | Mayne Reid
One baobab he computed at 90 feet in girth, and its rounded crest extended over an area of upwards of 170 yards in circuit.
The Desert World | Arthur Mangin
And so, linking his arm with the worthy major, he calmly wended his way to baobab Villa, amid the ringing cheers of the populace.
The World's Greatest Books, Vol III | Arthur Mee and J.A. Hammerton, Eds.

The baobab and the karite (shea butter tree) are found only in the Niger districts.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 1 "Franciscans" to "French Language" | Various
On reaching it, we seated ourselves under a large baobab, which was more than thirty feet in circumference.
Perils and Captivity | Charlotte-Adlade [ne Picard] Dard

British Dictionary definitions for baobab

baobab

/ (ˈbeɪəʊˌbæb) /

noun

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: Also called: bottle tree, monkey bread tree

Origin of baobab

C17: probably from a native African word

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

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