mambo

American  

[mahm-boh] / ˈmɑm boʊ /

noun

PLURAL

mambos

1. 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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verb (used without object)

1. to dance the mambo.

mambo British  

/ ˈmæmbəʊ /

noun

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

2. a voodoo priestess

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verb

1. (intr) to perform this dance

Etymology

Origin of mambo

First recorded in 1935–40; from Caribbean Spanish (Cuba), from Haitian Creole manbo “ritual dance; Vodou priestess”; perhaps from Kongo màmbu, plural of diàmbu “ritual negotiation, message”

Example Sentences

Los Angeles has a unique relationship with salsa, the Afro-Caribbean dance born from Cuban mambo.

From Los Angeles Times

Josué, the singer and oungan, noted that some young people becoming Vodouists are trying to change traditional prayers or certain practices, but he said oungans and mambos are not embracing the push.

From Seattle Times

Soon she was, as she writes, “out on the dance floor fusing my ballet training with the salsa, mambo and rumba steps I was learning.”

From New York Times

In “Balancê,” the title song of her 2005 album and one of her biggest hits, she sang in Portuguese about wanting to share “A new dance/A mix of semba with samba, mambo with rumba.”

From New York Times

To honor the ongoing local heritage of mambo sauce, an original documentary about the restaurateurs, fans, small business owners and sauce-makers behind it will be uploaded to the McDonald’s YouTube channel on Oct.

From Washington Times