Bandas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Groups of musicians performing together ; strips or loops of material used for binding or decoration ; organized groups of people joined for a common purpose
2. Collections of instrumentalists playing music collectively ; elongated flexible pieces used to hold objects or as accessories ; assemblies of individuals united by a shared activity or goal
3. Ensembles of performers creating music ; flat or round connectors typically made of cloth or rubber ; clusters of people joined for social, cultural, or operational reasons

Etymology: "Bandas" is simply the plural of "banda", a word borrowed from Spanish, where "banda" means a sash, a strip, or a group. Spanish took the word from the same Germanic root that gave English "band", so the two are doublets: separate borrowings from one ancestor that entered the languages by different routes and came to mean slightly different things. English "band" came into the language through Old French, while "banda" arrived directly from Spanish. The Spanish sense of a sash or ribbon worn across the body carried over into the Spanish sense of a company of musicians, since such groups were often identified by a shared sash or uniform. That idea of a unit marked off by a common mark is the thread linking the three meanings: a strip of material, a group of people bound together, and a musical ensemble.

Synonyms: bands, groups, gangs