: a broad-trunked tropical tree (Adansonia digitata) of the silk-cotton family that is native to Africa and has an edible acidic fruit resembling a gourd and bark used in making paper, cloth, and rope
also : any of several related trees chiefly of Madagascar and Australia

Examples of baobab in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On this barren landscape roughly the size of Switzerland, there are no roads or human settlements—just an endless expanse of shimmering white, occasionally punctuated by an ancient baobab tree. Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024 Decades of hard, often Sisyphean conservation work have succeeded in showing the resilience of the savanna’s low acacia and fever trees, thorny shrubs, and monumental ancient baobabs. Christopher Cameron, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2023 The base of each had been scarred by hungry elephants, who crave the nutrients in the baobabs’ bark. Tayari Jones, Travel + Leisure, 26 July 2023 Avenue of the Baobabs, Madagascar On a dirt road near Madagascar's west coast is a stretch of enormous baobab trees, all that remains of a once-dense forest. Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2023 Pack everything—food, water, gas, and camping equipment—and book a campsite under a baobab (from $14) through the Gaing O Community Trust, a group comprising members of the nearby Mmatshumo settlement who act as custodians of Kubu and make for expert hiking guides. —S.M. The Editors, Outside Online, 18 June 2021 Chamomile and baobab work together to create calming effects that can promote relaxation in dogs during periods of high stress. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 9 Nov. 2022 One hundred and fifty thousand shoots of drought-resistant acacia, hardy baobab and Moringa spill out of their black plastic casings. Aryn Baker / Mbar Toubab, Time, 12 Sep. 2019 The gang would then relocate to the park’s semiarid Savuti region, a landscape of baobab trees and rocky outcrops where dense herds of zebra and buffalo congregate at watering holes and try not to get picked off by the Savuti lion pride. Paul Kvinta, Outside Online, 1 Apr. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'baobab.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin bahobab

First Known Use

1640, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of baobab was in 1640

Dictionary Entries Near baobab

Cite this Entry

“Baobab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baobab. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

baobab

noun
: a tree native to Africa with a very wide trunk

Medical Definition

baobab

noun
: a broad-trunked Old World tropical tree (Adansonia digitata) of the silk-cotton family (Bombacaceae) with an edible acid fruit resembling a gourd, leaves and bark formerly used medicinally, and bark that is used in making paper, cloth, and rope

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