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cha-cha

[chah-chah]
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noun, plural cha-chas.
  1. a fast ballroom dance of Latin American origin, similar to the mambo, that follows a rhythmic pattern based upon a quick three-step movement.
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verb (used without object), cha-chaed, cha-cha·ing.
  1. to dance the cha-cha.
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Also cha-cha-cha.

Origin of cha-cha

1950–55; < American Spanish (Cuban) cha-cha-cha, probably imitative of the musical accompaniment
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for cha-cha-cha

cha-cha-cha

cha-cha

noun
  1. a Latin-American ballroom dance with small steps and swaying hip movements
  2. a piece of music composed for this dance
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verb (intr)
  1. to perform this dance
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Word Origin

C20: from American (Cuban) Spanish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cha-cha-cha

cha-cha

n.

also cha-cha-cha, type of Latin-American 3-beat ballroom dance, 1954, echoic of the music.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper