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Possible definitions for iamb

bamboo
Any of the tall, treelike grasses found in tropical and subtropical to mild temperate regions that make up the subfamily Bambusoideae, family Poaceae (or Gramineae). Bamboos are giant, fast-growing grasses with woody stems. A few species of the genus Arundinaria are native to the S U.S., where they form dense canebrakes along riverbanks and in marshy areas. The woody, hollow aerial stems grow in branching clusters from a thick rhizome, often forming a dense undergrowth that excludes other plants. All parts of the bamboo are used, for purposes incl. food, livestock fodder, fine-quality paper, construction materials, and medicines, and as ornamentals in landscape gardens.


lamb
Live sheep before the age of one year, and the flesh of such animals. The flesh of the mature ram or ewe at least one year old is called mutton; the meat of sheep 12-20 months old may be called yearling mutton. The meat of sheep 6-10 weeks old is usually sold as baby lamb, and spring lamb comes from sheep 5-6 months old. The primary lamb- and mutton-consuming countries (on a per capita basis) are New Zealand and Australia.


mamba
Any of four or five species of slender, agile elapid snakes (genus Dendroaspis, or Dendraspis) having large scales and long front teeth. They inhabit sub-Saharan Africa, where they hunt small animals. The aggressive black mamba (D. polylepis), up to 14 ft (4.2 m) long, may be dull gray, greenish brown, or black, depending on age. It dens in rocky open country. It rears up to strike, biting a person's head or trunk. Its bite is nearly always fatal without antivenin treatment. The green mamba (e.g., D. angusticeps) is smaller (to 9 ft, or 2.7 m), more strongly arboreal, and less aggressive.


samba
Ballroom dance of Brazilian origin, popular in the U.S. and Europe in the 1940s. Danced to music in 4/4 time with a syncopated rhythm, the dance is characterized by simple forward and backward steps and tilting, rocking body movements. In Brazil, an older African type of samba is also danced in circles or double lines as a type of group dance. For decades the samba has dominated Brazilian popular music.


Ambon
Island of the Moluccas, Indonesia. Located in the Malay Archipelago, it is 31 mi (50 km) long and 10 mi (16 km) wide, with an area of 294 sq mi (761 sq km). Its chief port is also called Ambon (pop., 1990: 277,000). The island is subject to earthquakes and volcanic activity; Mt. Salhatu (3,405 ft, or 1,038 m) is its highest point. The clove trade first attracted the Portuguese, who founded a settlement in 1521. The Dutch ousted the Portuguese in 1605, took over the spice trade, and in 1623 killed English settlers in the Amboina Massacre. The British captured Ambon in 1796 and 1810, but it was restored to the Dutch in 1814. It was a separate residency until it was united with Ternate to form the Government of the Moluccas (1927). The Japanese occupied it ...

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