Meaning

noun any of various fine-grained silty soils that become waxy and very sticky mud when saturated with water

noun tall coarse annual of Old World tropics widely cultivated in southern United States and West Indies for its long mucilaginous green pods used as basis for soups and stews; sometimes placed in genus Hi

noun long mucilaginous green pods; may be simmered or sauteed but used especially in soups and stews

originEtymology tree Kimbundu ingomboder. French gombobor. ▲ French gombo Louisiana Creole gombobor. English gumbo Borrowed from Louisiana French gombo, possibly via Louisiana Creole gombo, from Kimbundu ingombo, plural of kingombo (“okra”); compare Portuguese quingombó.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0