Bambou
/bɑ̃.bu/noun
French for bamboo, a tall tropical grass with woody stems.
Did you know?French bambou ultimately comes from a Malay word, and European languages borrowed it alongside the plant itself as bamboo became a symbol of the tropical world.
Etymological Timeline
Malay
Malay
mambu / bambu
“bamboo”
16th Century
Portuguese
bambu
“bamboo”
17th Century
Dutch
bamboes
“bamboo”
18th Century
French
bambou
“bamboo”
Modern English
English
bamboo
“a tall woody grass”