mambo

[ mahm-boh ]

noun

, plural mam·bos.

1. a fast ballroom dance of Caribbean origin, rhythmically similar to the rumba and cha-cha but having a more complex pattern of steps.

verb (used without object)

1. to dance the mambo.

mambo

/ ˈmæmbəʊ /

noun

1. a modern Latin American dance, resembling the rumba, derived from the ritual dance of voodoo
2. a voodoo priestess

verb

1. intr to perform this dance

Word History and Origins

Origin of mambo¹

First recorded in 1935–40; from Caribbean Spanish (Cuba), from Haitian Creole manbo “ritual dance; Vodou priestess”; perhaps from Kongo màmbu, plural of diàmbu “ritual negotiation, message”

Word History and Origins

Origin of mambo¹

American Spanish, probably from Haitian Creole: voodoo priestess

Example Sentences

Josué, the singer and oungan, noted that some young people becoming Vodouists are trying to change traditional prayers or certain practices, but he said oungans and mambos are not embracing the push.

From Seattle Times

Soon she was, as she writes, “out on the dance floor fusing my ballet training with the salsa, mambo and rumba steps I was learning.”

From New York Times

In “Balancê,” the title song of her 2005 album and one of her biggest hits, she sang in Portuguese about wanting to share “A new dance/A mix of semba with samba, mambo with rumba.”

From New York Times

To honor the ongoing local heritage of mambo sauce, an original documentary about the restaurateurs, fans, small business owners and sauce-makers behind it will be uploaded to the McDonald’s YouTube channel on Oct.

From Washington Times

For the first four innings, the Mariners seemed destined to take a step back in their never-ending dance between a winning record and a losing record — call it the mambo of mediocrity.

From Seattle Times