guiro

American  

[gweer-oh, gee-raw] / ˈgwɪər oʊ, ˈgi rɔ /

noun

plural

guiro

1. a South American musical instrument consisting of a hollow gourd with serrated surface that is scraped with a stick.

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Etymology

Origin of guiro

First recorded in 1895–1900; from Latin American Spanish güiro, literally, “gourd,” probably from Taíno

Example Sentences

From the guitarron and the requinto to the guiro and the tololoche, these are some of the instruments responsible for música Mexicana’s distinct qualities.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2024

Alan Vega, a producer-songwriter who has worked with singers Estevie and Sofia Reyes, looks to the guiro as “the most important and most recognizable part of cumbia’s percussion.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2024

What resulted was a manic, fragmentary welter of impulses and styles, with second guesses and shifts of gear prompted by short, sharp scrapes on a guiro.

From New York Times • Dec. 26, 2012

Mostly this album sticks to form: the closely picked guitars, the rustling of the guiro, the ever-so-mild hip-hop affect.

From New York Times • May 22, 2011

"Ne la Vigna io son intrato, Di quei pampani n' ò tocato; Ma lo guiro per la corona che porto in capo, Che de quel fruto no ghe n' ò gustato."

From Italian Popular Tales by Crane, Thomas Frederick