bamboo

English

/bæmˈbu/

noun
Definitions
  • A grass of the Poaceae family, characterised by its woody, hollow, round, straight, jointed stem, all of which are in the tribe.
  • The wood of the bamboo plant as a material or cane.
  • A didgeridoo.
  • (slang) A member of the British military or British East India Company who spent so much time in Indonesia, India, or Malaysia that they never went back home.

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch, Flemish bamboe derived from Portuguese bambu derived from Malay bambu derived from Kannada ಬಂಬು.

Origin

Kannada

ಬಂಬು

Gloss

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms