salsa
[ sahl-suh; Spanish sahl-sah ]
/ ˈsɑl sə; Spanish ˈsɑl sɑ /
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noun
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.
a lively, vigorous type of contemporary Latin American popular music, blending predominantly Cuban rhythms with elements of jazz, rock, and soul music.
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)
to dance the salsa.
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Origin of salsa
First recorded in 1845–50, and in 1970–75 for defs. 2, 3; from American Spanish, Spanish: literally, “sauce”; the dance and music were probably so called originally because of the mixture of styles
Words nearby salsa
salpingoplasty, salpingorrhaphy, salpingostomy, salpingotomy, salpinx, salsa, salsa verde, salsify, sal soda, salt, salta
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for salsa
salsa
/ (ˈsælsə) /
noun
a type of Latin American big-band dance music
a dance performed to this kind of music
Mexican cookery a spicy tomato-based sauce
Word Origin for salsa
C20: from Spanish: sauce
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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