mambo
[mahm-boh]
- a fast ballroom dance of Caribbean origin, rhythmically similar to the rumba and cha-cha but having a more complex pattern of steps.
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- to dance the mambo.
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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. 2018
Examples from the Web for mambo
Contemporary Examples
And acts like mambo king Pupi Campo and the energetic DeCastro Sisters made Las Vegas their new home.
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love By Oscar Hijuelos We love reading about the superstars of music.
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 TimeDomenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana
October 25, 2012
("Mambo Sun") He was cool because he never straightened his hair.
Historical Examples
Thus sometimes the Molimo, or priest of Munwali, and the Mambo or chief were different persons.
Benita, An African RomanceH. Rider Haggard
"The white gold-seeker does not believe in spirits, and he defies them," Mambo repeated in his sing-song voice.
Benita, An African RomanceH. Rider Haggard
mambo
- a modern Latin American dance, resembling the rumba, derived from the ritual dance of voodoo
- a voodoo priestess
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- (intr) to perform this dance
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Word Origin
American Spanish, probably from Haitian Creole: voodoo priestess
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for mambo
n.
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."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper