bamboo

Where does the word "bamboo" come from? It comes from Malay bambu, passing through Portuguese/Dutch before entering English (1600s).

Bamboo’s story begins in Malay: bambu meant “bamboo.” The name for the fast-growing woody grass. By 1500s-1600s, the word had taken hold in Portuguese/Dutch as bambu. Dutch and Portuguese traders in the East Indies spread the Malay name. It reached English by 1600s as bamboo. The final 'oo' may come from the Dutch spelling 'bamboes'. Today, bamboo means a fast-growing, woody tropical grass with hollow stems.

1. Stage 1 · Malay · medieval bambu "bamboo", the name for the fast-growing woody grass.
2. Stage 2 · Portuguese/Dutch · 1500s-1600s bambu "bamboo", Dutch and Portuguese traders in the East Indies spread the Malay name.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1600s bamboo "a fast-growing, woody tropical grass", the final 'oo' may come from the Dutch spelling 'bamboes'.