sambo
Americannoun
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a term used to refer to a Black person, especially a male.
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Archaic. Also zambo a term used to refer to a Latin American of Black and Native American ancestry, or a person of Black and white ancestry.
noun
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slang an archaic and taboo word for a Black person: once used as a term of address
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archaic the offspring of a Black person and a member of another race or a mulatto
noun
Sensitive Note
Sambo was a common given name among Black people during the slavery era; it was later a neutral term for a Black person. However, after World War II, an increasing sensitivity to racial stereotypes caused the term to be perceived as demeaning and insulting.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of sambo
An Americanism dating back to 1690–1700; from Colonial Spanish zambo “Black person, person of mixed race,” perhaps special use of Spanish zambo “bowlegged,” said to be from Latin scambus, from Greek skambós “crooked,” or perhaps from Kongo nzambu “monkey”
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.
Amosov's first experience of MMA was at the age of 16 when he joined a combat sambo gym - a form of martial arts popular in Eastern Europe.
From BBC • Feb. 21, 2023
He cited other examples of Putin’s “God-gifted” athleticism: “He can ride the horse, he can swim, he can skate, he can ski, he can do judo and sambo and karate.”
From The New Yorker • Jul. 3, 2018
Makhachev is 11-0 with a sambo background and trains with top lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov.
From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2015
"Move your hips forward," said Anatoly Rakhlin, who coached Putin for 15 years in judo and sambo, a martial art that is part of the training for members of Russia's security forces.
From Reuters • Dec. 22, 2010
On Fridays, I stay up late making sambo sandwiches to sell at parties and games over the weekend.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
