ombu
- noun
- /ˈɑmˌbu/
- We discovered an impressive ombu while hiking in the South American rainforest.
Examples
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The ombu tree provides shade in the hot sun with its broad, leafy canopy.
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In the garden, the ombu stands tall, its trunk filled with water and its leaves a rich dark green.
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The duel between Vega and the devil took place at such a site under a magic, or at least enchanted, tree, a solitary ombu.
Academic text (1995)
Synonyms
A fast-growing evergreen tree from South America with a wide trunk that holds water and dark green oval leaves
A fast-growing evergreen tree with a thick water-filled trunk and dark oval leaves that gives shade
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word ombu comes from a native South American language, likely Guaraní, where it was the name for the large local tree. Because the ombu stands out on the flat pampas with a wide, water-filled trunk and deep shade, the name was adopted into Spanish and English to mean that specific tree.