mbila
[ uhm-bee-luh ]
noun
a xylophone of southern African origin having graduated wooden keys, traditionally attached to hollow gourd resonators, and played with rubber-headed mallets, often in a group.
Origin of mbila
1First recorded in 1925–30; from Venda (Bantu language of the Transvaal and Zimbabwe); cf. mbira
- Also Older Use, am·bi·ra [am-beer-uh] /æmˈbɪər ə/ .
Words Nearby mbila
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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