mambo

[ mahm-boh ]

/ ˈmɑm boʊ /

noun, plural mam·bos.

a fast ballroom dance of Caribbean origin, rhythmically similar to the rumba and cha-cha but having a more complex pattern of steps.

verb (used without object)

to dance the mambo.

Nearby words

mamaku, mamallapuram, mamaroneck, mamba, mamberamo, mambo, mame, mamelon, mameluke, mamers, mamet

Origin of mambo

Borrowed into English from American Spanish around 1945–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mambo

And acts like mambo king Pupi Campo and the energetic DeCastro Sisters made Las Vegas their new home.
Will Hyman Roth Return to Havana With Normalized Relations?|John L. Smith|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love By Oscar Hijuelos We love reading about the superstars of music.
What are the Best Novels on Music?|Ted Gioia|October 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The music and Sophia singing “mambo Italiano” always makes us want to dance.
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana Choose Their Favorite Italian Films of All Time|Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana|October 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
("Mambo Sun") He was cool because he never straightened his hair.
'T-Rex' Will Never Be Extinct|Simon Doonan|August 13, 2010|DAILY BEAST

Thus sometimes the Molimo, or priest of Munwali, and the Mambo or chief were different persons.
Benita, An African Romance|H. Rider Haggard

British Dictionary definitions for mambo

mambo

/ (ˈmæmbəʊ) /

noun plural -bos

a modern Latin American dance, resembling the rumba, derived from the ritual dance of voodoo

a voodoo priestess

verb -bos, -boing or -boed

(intr) to perform this dance

Word Origin for mambo

American Spanish, probably from Haitian Creole: voodoo priestess

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 mambo

mambo

popular dance (like the rhumba but livelier), September 1948, from American Spanish mambo, said by Webster to be from Haitian creole word for "voodoo priestess."