Bambusaceae
/ˌbæmbuːˈseɪiː/noun
A botanical family of grasses that includes bamboos.
Did you know?The ultimate origin of bamboo is uncertain, but the family name follows the 19th-century botanical convention of adding -aceae to a genus name.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-modern Southeast Asia
Malay/Indonesian
bambu
“A word referring to bamboo; its deeper origin is uncertain and may involve borrowing among Asian languages.”
16th Century
Portuguese
bambu
“Bamboo, encountered by Portuguese travelers and traders in South and Southeast Asia.”
17th Century
English
bamboo
“The tall, jointed, woody grass introduced into English from an Asian term, probably through European colonial usage.”
1753
Scientific Latin
Bambusa
“The Latinized genus name established by Linnaeus for bamboos.”
19th Century
Botanical Latin
Bambusaceae
“A family name formed from Bambusa with the standard botanical suffix -aceae, meaning a plant family.”
Modern English
English
Bambusaceae
“The scientific name for the bamboo family, though many modern classifications place bamboos within the grass family Poaceae.”
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