I. (ˈ)bam|bü, -aam- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Malay bambu, from Kannada or Tulu
1. : a woody or arborescent grass of Bambusa, Arundinaria, Dendrocalamus, and related genera (tribe Bambuseae) widely distributed chiefly in the tropics and subtropics of both hemispheres ; especially : a large woody plant ( B. arundinacea ) having hollow stems that attain a diameter of five or six inches and are so hard and durable as to be used for furniture, cooking utensils, and structural framing, the smaller stalks being also used (as for walking sticks and flutes) and the young shoots utilized as food
2.
a. : a variable color averaging a grayish yellow that is greener, lighter, and stronger than chamois, lighter and stronger than old ivory, and redder, lighter, and stronger than crash
b. : a light to moderate yellowish brown that is yellower than lion
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II. adjective
1. : of, relating to, or made of bamboo
a bamboo hut
2. : belonging or peculiar to or suggestive of a native population especially of a tropical Pacific area
a bamboo train
a bamboo prison
specifically : having dropped Western habits and affiliations — used of an American or European
Mac stayed because he was bamboo , but you couldn't use that word to his face — R.O.Bowen