bamboo

Meaning

Noun

1. A fast-growing grass of the Bambusoideae subfamily, characterised by its woody, hollow, round, straight, jointed stem.
2. The wood of the bamboo plant as a material for building, furniture, etc.
3. A stick, rod, pole, or cane of bamboo, especially one used for corporal punishment.
4. (slang) A didgeridoo.
5. (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.

Adj

Made of the wood of the bamboo.

Verb

1. To flog with a bamboo cane.
2. To paint (furniture, etc.) to give it the appearance of bamboo.
3. (slang) To penetrate sexually.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/bæmˈbu/

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch bamboe, from Portuguese bambu, from Malay bambu, from Kannada ಬಂಬು (bambu), variant form of ಬೇವು (bēvu). Cognate with Malayalam വേപ്പ് (vēppŭ), Telugu వేప (vēpa), from Proto-Dravidian *wēmpu (“neem”).