November 06, 2013
- bamboo (noun)
- What does it mean?
- : any of various chiefly tropical tall woody grasses including some with strong hollow stems used for building, furniture, or utensils
- How do you use it?
- The giant panda must eat up to 66 pounds of bamboo every day in order to get all the nutrients it needs to survive.
- Are you a word wiz?
Which of these languages do you think gave us the word "bamboo"?English borrowed "bamboo" from the Malay word "bambu" back in the late 1500s. A surprising number of common English words trace to Malay. Others include "gingham," the name of a cotton fabric whose Malayan ancestor, "genggang," means "striped cloth." The Malay word "kechap," meaning "fish sauce," became English "ketchup." Another example is "gong," the name originally given to a percussion instrument and now also used for a large saucer-shaped bell. One more example of a word borrowed from Malay into English is "gecko," the name of a small lizard.