charango

[chuh-rang-goh]

noun

plural

charangos 

1. a small South American guitar made from the shell of an armadillo or similar animal and having two to five strings.

Word History and Origins

Origin of charango¹

First recorded in 1870–75; from Spanish, alteration of charanga “brass band”; imitative of the sound

Example Sentences

A major element was traditional musical styles and instruments from all over the world: an Andean guitar-like charango, a Middle Eastern flute called a ney.

From New York Times

In “Ritmos Anchinos,” written for the Silk Road Ensemble, a Chinese pipa takes on the guise of a charango, a Peruvian mandolin.

From New York Times

Fireworks burst at the end of a ceremony that also included performers dressed as hunters, fishermen and warriors, a parade of athletes from the 41 competing countries, and a woman who played a tiny Andean guitar known as the charango.

From Seattle Times

SACABA, Bolivia — Julia Flores Colque still sings with joy in her indigenous Quechua tongue and strums the five strings of a tiny Andean guitar known as the charango, despite a recorded age of almost 118 years.

From Seattle Times

Balún, a band from Puerto Rico, sometimes used a reggaeton beat, but it was also ready to layer on deep electronic bass tones, the quick strumming of the small Andean guitar called a charango, pealing rock guitars and ethereal soprano vocals, adding up to songs full of positive aspirations.

From New York Times