Baobab
/ˈbeɪ.oʊ.bæb/noun
A massive African, Arabian, Australian, or Madagascan tree of the genus Adansonia, known for its swollen trunk and edible fruit.
Did you know?The scientific genus name Adansonia honors Michel Adanson, whose 18th-century account of the Senegal baobab helped introduce the tree to European science.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-modern Africa
African languages
Various local names
“The tree was known by numerous indigenous names across Africa and Madagascar; no single original source for the English word is certain.”
16th Century
Portuguese
Baobab
“An early European form recorded by Portuguese travelers and naturalists.”
17th Century
French
Baobab
“The name entered French botanical and travel writing in approximately the same form.”
18th Century
English
Baobab
“English adopted the word for the distinctive African tree.”
Modern English
English
baobab
“A tree of the genus Adansonia, especially the iconic African species with an enormous water-storing trunk.”