gumbo

¹

[ guhm-boh ]

noun

, plural gum·bos.

1. a stew or thick soup, usually made with chicken or seafood, greens, and okra or sometimes filé as a thickener.
2. okra.
3. soil that becomes sticky and nonporous when wet.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or like gumbo.

Gumbo

²

[ guhm-boh ]

noun

, (sometimes lowercase)

1. a French patois spoken by Black and Creole people in Louisiana and the French West Indies.

Gumbo

¹

/ ˈɡʌmbəʊ /

noun

1. sometimes not capital a French patois spoken by Creoles in Louisiana and the Caribbean

gumbo

²

/ ˈɡʌmbəʊ /

noun

1. the mucilaginous pods of okra
2. another name for okra
3. a soup or stew thickened with okra pods
4. a fine soil in the W prairies that becomes muddy when wet

Word History and Origins

Origin of gumbo¹

1795–1805, Americanism; < Louisiana French gombo, gumbo < a Bantu language; compare Umbundu ochinggombo, Luba chinggombo okra

Origin of gumbo²

First recorded in 1835–40; probably from the same source as gumbo ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of gumbo¹

see gumbo

Origin of gumbo²

C19: from Louisiana French gombo, of Bantu origin

Example Sentences

A light touch of herbs, some seasonings and a bright pop of fresh lemon juice, and you have a most brilliant concoction, a concoction that is now as much of a Creole classic as gumbo.

From Salon

Dan's winning smoked fish dish, another of Manny's mgnificent moles, Savannah's chawanmushi, Danny's carrot-centric chowder, Amanda's "brilliant" vegan gumbo and Laura's tartare all sounded great.

From Salon

Dan’s winning smoked walleye, Dan’s carrot-centric take on clam chowder, Savannah’s chawanmushi, Manny’s mole and Soo’s rice cakes all garnered high acclaim, but one that stood out particularly for me was Amanda’s vegan gumbo z'herbes with greens, grilled mushrooms and kombu.

From Salon

Try using it at home, either in a super simple dashi or maybe in a kombu-imbued rice pilaf, a crispy okonomiyaki, or perhaps even take inspiration from Amanda and make a vegan gumbo.

From Salon

As both a comic and a curator of some of the best up-and-coming talent in the L.A. stand-up scene, Jeremy “Gumbo” Christian knows how to sell tickets and take the stage with equal levels of down-home finesse.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bouillon
• chowder
• porridge
• puree