rumba
[ ruhm-buh, room-, room- ]
noun,plural rum·bas [ruhm-buhz, room-, room-]. /ˈrʌm bəz, ˈrʊm-, ˈrum-/.
a dance, Cuban in origin and complex in rhythm.
an imitation or adaptation of this dance in the United States.
music for this dance or in its rhythm.
verb (used without object),rum·baed [ruhm-buhd, room-, room-], /ˈrʌm bəd, ˈrʊm-, ˈrum-/, rum·ba·ing [ruhm-buh-ing, room-, room-]. /ˈrʌm bə ɪŋ, ˈrʊm-, ˈrum-/.
to dance the rumba.
Origin of rumba
1First recorded in 1910–15; from Latin American Spanish (Cuba): literally, “party; spree,” from Spanish rumbo “commotion, uproar,” earlier “ostentation, pomp”; further origin uncertain
- Also rhum·ba .
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for rumba
rumba
rhumba
/ (ˈrʌmbə, ˈrʊm-) /
noun
a rhythmic and syncopated Cuban dance in duple time
a ballroom dance derived from this
a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance
Origin of rumba
1C20: from Spanish: lavish display, of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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