# bamboo

> English word · Noun · IPA /bæmˈbu/ · frequency rank #12,007

## Definitions
1. Any of the fast-growing grasses of the Bambusoideae subfamily, characterised by its woody, hollow, round, straight, jointed stem.
2. Wood of the bamboo plant as a material for building, furniture, etc.
3. A stick, rod, pole, or cane of bamboo, especially one used as a vessel for liquids, or as a tool for corporal punishment.
4. A didgeridoo.
5. 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.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Dravidian *wē
Proto-Dravidian *mpu
Proto-Dravidian *wēmpu
Tamil வேம்பு (vēmpu)bor.
▲
Proto-Dravidian *wēmpu
Kannada ಬಂಬು (bambu)bor.
Malay bambubor.
Portuguese bambubor.
Dutch bamboebor.
English bamboo
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”).

## Easily confused with
- **bimbo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bamboo-vs-bimbo)
- **Bambi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bambi-vs-bamboo)
- **balboa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/balboa-vs-bamboo)
- **baboon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baboon-vs-bamboo)
- **Bamako** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bamako-vs-bamboo)

## Common misspellings (8)
`abmboo`, `babmoo`, `bambboo`, `bambo`, `bammboo`, `bamobo`, `bbamboo`, `bmaboo`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/bamboo