Late 16th century; earliest use found in William Phillip (fl. 1596–1619), translator. From Portuguese †mambu, apparently from a Dravidian language; compare Kannada bambu, Tamil vampu, and Malayalam vampu.
Definition of mambu in US English:
mambu
nounˈmambuː
rare
Bamboo.
Origin
Late 16th century; earliest use found in William Phillip (fl. 1596–1619), translator. From Portuguese † mambu, apparently from a Dravidian language; compare Kannada bambu, Tamil vampu, and Malayalam vampu.