Bambusoideae
/ˌbæm.buːˈsɔɪ.diː.iː/noun
A botanical subfamily comprising bamboos within the grass family Poaceae.
Did you know?The ending -oideae comes from Greek eidos, “form” or “likeness,” the same root behind words such as asteroid and humanoid.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
εἶδος (eîdos)
“Form, shape, appearance, or kind”
Hellenistic Greek
Greek
-οειδής (-oeidēs)
“Having the form or appearance of; resembling”
16th–17th Century
Portuguese
bambu / bambu
“Bamboo; borrowed through Asian trade languages, probably Malay bambu”
18th Century
Latinized botanical nomenclature
Bambusa
“The genus name formed from bamboo-related vernacular terminology”
19th Century
Scientific Latin
Bambusoideae
“A taxonomic subfamily name meaning the bamboo-like group”