kalimba
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of kalimba
1950–55; the instrument's name in a number of Bantu languages of East Africa, e.g., Bisa, Lala (Zambia), Tumbuka, Nyanja (Malawi); cf. marimba
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He scored the opening scenes, which paint a portrait of the vibrant, thriving Dahomey village, with African pastorale — bouncing a string orchestra along with a gentle groove on regional instruments including kalimba and kora.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2022
Here’s a kalimba, an African thumb piano with metal tines that plink like a music box.
From Washington Post • Aug. 15, 2021
At one point you also hear a kalimba and berimbau and didgeridoo all at the same time.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2019
He’s stepped away from the drums to focus on other instruments, including the bolon, an African harp, and the kalimba, a finger piano.
From Washington Times • Apr. 15, 2017
A woman in white hurries to the door, believing against all reason that she has just heard the ailing President playing a song on the kalimba.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
