maraca

American  

[muh-rah-kuh, -rak-uh] / məˈrɑ kə, -ˈræk ə /

noun

1. a gourd or a gourd-shaped rattle filled with seeds or pebbles and used, often in a pair, as a rhythm instrument.

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maraca British  

/ məˈrækə /

noun

1. a percussion instrument, usually one of a pair, consisting of a gourd or plastic shell filled with dried seeds, pebbles, etc. It is used chiefly in Latin American music

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Etymology

Origin of maraca

1815–25; < Portuguese < Tupi maráka

Explanation

A maraca is a musical instrument that you shake — the stones or beans rattle against the hollow case in time to the beat of the music. If the violin seems a bit too complicated to learn, try out some maracas! Maracas are percussion instruments commonly used in Latin and Caribbean music. They mark the beat like drums do, and they are fairly simple to play. Most traditional maracas are made out of dried, hollow gourds or coconut shells, and they're filled with dry beans or pebbles. The word maraca comes from the Portuguese, via a Brazilian language called Tupi. In some French-speaking parts of the world, maracas are called "shac-shacs."

Example Sentences

A crochet maraca shakes along a funky bassline.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2024

In Indigenous communities from the Amazon to the Caribbean, the shaman’s maraca opens the channel to the spirit realm.

From New York Times • Sep. 15, 2021

He wore a long headdress of blue macaw feathers and held a maraca.

From Reuters • Aug. 25, 2021

The Dessners, meanwhile, whose father was a jazz drummer, and who play more instruments than you can shake a maraca at, wanted to push it ever weirder and wilder.

From The Guardian • Aug. 27, 2017

French fries spring loose in the bag, and it shakes around like a maraca.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti