Where does “bambou” come from?

bambou (English) comes from French bambou, from Portuguese bambu, from Malay bambu, from Tamil வேம்பு, from Kannada ಬಂಬು, from Proto-Dravidian *wēmpu — neem tree.

Ancestry of “bambou”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchbamboubamboo
2Portuguesebambubamboo
3Malaybambubamboo
4Tamilவேம்புbitterness (of taste)
5Kannadaಬಂಬುbamboo
6Proto-Dravidian*wēmpuneem tree
Every word from Proto-Dravidian *wēmpu →