a bombacaceous tree, Adansonia digitata, native to Africa, that has a very thick trunk, large white flowers, and a gourdlike fruit with an edible pulp called monkey bread
Also called: bottle tree, monkey bread tree
Word origin
C17: probably from a native African word
baobab in American English
(ˈbeɪoʊˌbæb; ˈbɑoʊˌbæb)
noun
a thick-trunked tree (Adansonia digitata) of the bombax family, native to Africa: fiber from its bark is used for making rope, paper, etc., and the gourdlike fruit has an edible pulp
Word origin
< ? Ethiopian native name
Examples of 'baobab' in a sentence
baobab
With him it was splendid rock outcrops, baobab trees, orange sunsets and the Zimbabwe Ruins.
Martin, Joy THE IMAGE OF LAURA (2003)
There were plenty of people in the plaza, most of them sitting or standing in the shade of an immense baobab tree near the column.