noun
- any large tree belonging to the genus Adansonia, of the bombax family, especially A. digitata, which is native to tropical Africa, has an exceedingly thick trunk, and bears a gourdlike fruit.
noun
- 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 breadAlso called: bottle tree, monkey bread tree
1630s, from Medieval Latin bahobab (1590s), apparently from a central African language.