ambatch

English

Aeschynomene elaphroxylon

Etymology

Likely borrowed from an Ethiopian language.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæmˌbætʃ/

Noun

ambatch (usually uncountable, plural ambatches)

1. A large shrub or small tree found in and around water in the African tropics, Aeschynomene elaphroxylon, formerly used to make rafts due to its extremely lightweight wood.
2. (countable) A raft made from bundles of the stems of this plant.