babul

[ buh-bool, bah-bool ]

noun
  1. any of several leguminous trees of the genus Acacia that yield a gum, especially A. nilotica, of tropical Africa.

  2. the gum, pods, or bark of such a tree.

Origin of babul

1
1815–25; <Hindi babūl<Persian

Words Nearby babul

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use babul in a sentence

  • The favourite sites for nests in the United Provinces seem to be babul trees that grow near borrow pits alongside the railroad.

  • Little islands dotted the surface, covered with rushes and date palms, the wild plum, and the babul—all growing thickly together.

    Banked Fires | E. W. (Ethel Winifred) Savi
  • Toddy palms are most commonly chosen, but in Northern India, where palms are but rarely seen, a babul tree is usually utilised.

    Birds of the Plains | Douglas Dewar
  • It interested all the station, and died with two seers of babul-flower honey in its bosom.

    From Sea to Sea | Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for babul

babul

/ (bɑːˈbuːl, ˈbɑːbuːl) /


noun
  1. any of several leguminous trees of the genus Acacia, esp A. arabica of N Africa and India, which bear small yellow flowers and are a source of gum arabic, tannin, and hardwood

Origin of babul

1
from Persian babūl; related to Sanskrit babbūla

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012