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salsa

American  
[sahl-suh, sahl-sah] / ˈsɑl sə, ˈsɑl sɑ /

noun

  1. Mexican Cooking. a hot sauce of tomatoes and chile peppers with onion and garlic, and sometimes seasoned with cumin or fresh cilantro, often used as a condiment or served as a dip.

  2. a lively, vigorous type of contemporary Latin American popular music, blending predominantly Cuban rhythms with elements of jazz, rock, and soul music.

  3. a ballroom dance of Puerto Rican origin, performed to this music, similar to the mambo, but faster with the accent on the first beat instead of the second beat of each measure.


verb (used without object)

  1. to dance the salsa.

salsa British  
/ ˈsælsə /

noun

  1. a type of Latin American big-band dance music

  2. a dance performed to this kind of music

  3. Mexican cookery a spicy tomato-based sauce

"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

Etymology

Origin of salsa

First recorded in 1845–50, and in 1970–75 salsa for defs. 2, 3; from Latin American Spanish, Spanish: literally, “sauce”; the dance and music were probably so called originally because of the mixture of styles

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Carlos said that Colón expanded and politicised salsa music, taking it to stages where it hadn't been heard before.

From BBC

Willie Colón, a legendary trombonist and pioneer of salsa music, has died.

From Los Angeles Times

Sour cream and cheese to add tang; pinto beans and red salsa for heartiness.

From Los Angeles Times

Lady Gaga made a cameo to perform a few bars of “Die with a Smile,” delivered with a salsa kick.

From Salon

The set featured a traditional casita structure, block party salsa dancing, Puerto Rican flags and a mock sugarcane field.

From BBC