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gumbo

[ guhm-boh ]
/ ˈgʌm boʊ /
|
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noun, plural gum·bos.

a stew or thick soup, usually made with chicken or seafood, greens, and okra or sometimes filé as a thickener.
okra.
soil that becomes sticky and nonporous when wet.

adjective

of, relating to, or like gumbo.

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RELATED WORDS

porridge, puree, chowder, bouillon, concoction, distillation, fluid, splash, elixir, brew, bowl, potpourri, stock, potage, decoction, pottage, vichyssoise, borscht, dishwater, hodge-podge

Nearby words

  1. gum thus,
  2. gum tragacanth,
  3. gum tree,
  4. gum up,
  5. gumball,
  6. gumbo-limbo,
  7. gumboil,
  8. gumboot,
  9. gumboots,
  10. gumbotil

Origin of gumbo

1795–1805, Americanism; < Louisiana French gombo, gumbo < a Bantu language; compare Umbundu ochinggombo, Luba chinggombo okra

Definition for gumbo (2 of 2)

Gumbo

[ guhm-boh ]
/ ˈgʌm boʊ /

noun (sometimes lowercase)

a French patois spoken by blacks and Creoles in Louisiana and the French West Indies.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gumbo

British Dictionary definitions for gumbo (1 of 2)

gumbo

gombo

/ (ˈɡʌmbəʊ) /

noun plural -bos US and Canadian

the mucilaginous pods of okra
another name for okra
a soup or stew thickened with okra pods
a fine soil in the W prairies that becomes muddy when wet

Word Origin for gumbo

C19: from Louisiana French gombo, of Bantu origin

British Dictionary definitions for gumbo (2 of 2)

Gumbo

/ (ˈɡʌmbəʊ) /

noun

(sometimes not capital) a French patois spoken by Creoles in Louisiana and the Caribbean

Word Origin for Gumbo

see gumbo
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 gumbo

gumbo

1805, from Louisiana French, probably ultimately from Central Bantu dialect (cf. Mbundu ngombo "okra").

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper