sambo

[ sam-boh ]

noun

, Older Use: Now Disparaging and Offensive.

, plural sam·bos.

1. a term used to refer to a Black person, especially a male.
2. Also zam·bo [] . Archaic. a term used to refer to a Latin American of Black and Native American ancestry, or a person of Black and white ancestry.

sambo

¹

/ ˈsæmbəʊ /

noun

1. a type of wrestling based on judo that originated in Russia and now features in international competitions

sambo

²

/ ˈsæmbəʊ /

noun

1. slang.
   an archaic and taboo word for a Black person: once used as a term of address
2. archaic.
   the offspring of a Black person and a member of another race or a mulatto

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.

Derived Forms

• sambo wrestler, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sambo¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of sambo¹

C20: from Russian sam ( ozashchita ) b ( ez ) o ( ruzhiya ) self-defence without weapons

Origin of sambo²

C18: from American Spanish zambo a person of Black descent; perhaps related to Bantu nzambu monkey

Example Sentences

In Burkina Faso, we found reports about a football competition where the Russian national anthem was played, “friendship lessons” in schools where students are taught about Russia, a competition of the Soviet martial art “sambo”, first aid workshops for citizens and policemen, and a graffiti festival where participants drew Russian President Vladimir Putin alongside Burkina Faso’s former leader Thomas Sankara, all sponsored by African Initiative.

From BBC

He took up judo, which he continued as a black belt during his presidency, and the Russian martial art of sambo, and stayed close to his childhood partners, Arkady and Boris Rotenberg.

From BBC

A man like Sambo would be hard to miss.

From Literature

Sambo was a skilled carpenter and would always claim that he was the son of an African king.

From Literature

His first name was derived from a common West African name that came to be widely used and only later became a slur, largely because of a series of books written in 1899 about a character named Little Black Sambo.

From Literature