ˈbau̇ˌbab, ˈbāəˌ- noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably native name in Africa
: a tree ( Adansonia digitata ) especially of Africa, India, and Australia having a trunk that often grows to a diameter of 30 feet, a gourdlike fruit that yields a pleasantly acid edible pulp which also furnishes a beverage, leaves and bark formerly used medicinally, and bark that is used in papermaking and that is also made into cloth and ropes by the natives — see monkey bread