Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
mambo [mahm-boh] ExamplesWord Origin noun, plural mam·bos.
- a fast ballroom dance of Caribbean origin, rhythmically similar to the rumba and cha-cha but having a more complex pattern of steps.
verb (used without object)
- to dance the mambo.
Origin of mambo Borrowed into English from American Spanish around 1945–50 Examples from the Web for mambo Contemporary Examples of mambo
And acts like mambo king Pupi Campo and the energetic DeCastro Sisters made Las Vegas their new home.
Will Hyman Roth Return to Havana With Normalized Relations?
John L. Smith
December 18, 2014
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love By Oscar Hijuelos We love reading about the superstars of music.
What are the Best Novels on Music?
Ted Gioia
October 19, 2013
The music and Sophia singing “mambo Italiano” always makes us want to dance.
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana Choose Their Favorite Italian Films of All Time
Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana
October 25, 2012
(“Mambo Sun”) He was cool because he never straightened his hair.
Simon Doonan
August 13, 2010
Historical Examples of mambo
Thus sometimes the Molimo, or priest of Munwali, and the Mambo or chief were different persons.
H. Rider Haggard
“The white gold-seeker does not believe in spirits, and he defies them,” Mambo repeated in his sing-song voice.
H. Rider Haggard
British Dictionary definitions for mambo mambo noun plural -bos
- a modern Latin American dance, resembling the rumba, derived from the ritual dance of voodoo
- a voodoo priestess
verb -bos, -boing or -boed
- (intr) to perform this dance
Word Origin for mambo American Spanish, probably from Haitian Creole: voodoo priestess Word Origin and History for mambo n.
popular dance (like the rhumba but livelier), September 1948, from American Spanish mambo, said by Webster to be from Haitian creole word for “voodoo priestess.”