marimba

[muh-rim-buh]

noun

1. a musical instrument, originating in Africa but popularized and modified in Central America, consisting of a set of graduated wooden bars, often with resonators beneath to reinforce the sound, struck with mallets.

marimba

/ məˈrɪmbə /

noun

1. a Latin American percussion instrument consisting of a set of hardwood plates placed over tuned metal resonators, played with two soft-headed sticks in each hand

Word History and Origins

Origin of marimba¹

1695–1705; < Portuguese < Kimbundu or a related Bantu language; akin to kalimba

Word History and Origins

Origin of marimba¹

C18: of West African origin

Example Sentences

Events will be held daily through Sept. 27 and vary widely, from a marimba workshop with the band Son Rompe Pera to documentary screenings at the Consulate General of Mexico.

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He holds small mallets in his “hands” to play a kind of xylophone called a marimba.

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A marimba repairman came to rescue an aging instrument in Guatemala’s Los Angeles consulate.

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Jacob was nearly vibrating with excitement as the strings rippled and marimba clattered.

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It’s a countryish song with south-of-the border touches like marimba and flutes, a style jovially summed up as “Gulf and Western.”

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