Marimbas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of percussion instrument consisting of wooden bars struck with mallets to produce musical tones; often played in ensembles or solo performances; associated with African and Latin American music traditions
2. A musical device made of tuned wooden bars, played by striking with mallets to create melodic sounds; frequently utilized in orchestral settings as well as in cultural music groups; integral to various global music genres
3. An instrument with a series of wooden slats of differing lengths, generating sounds when hit with mallets; commonly featured in both traditional and contemporary music ensembles; prevalent in diverse cultural performances

Etymology: "Marimbas" is simply the plural of "marimba", so the history belongs to the singular. The instrument's name came into English from Portuguese "marimba", which in turn was borrowed from Kimbundu, a Bantu language of Angola. In Kimbundu, the word "madimba" is the plural of "dimba", which is why the form that reached Europe carries a plural-looking shape at its core. The Portuguese adopted the word during their presence in west-central Africa, where they encountered the instrument, a wooden xylophone with resonating gourds beneath its keys. The name travelled with it across the Atlantic, and the instrument became a feature of music in Central America and southern Mexico, where the word took root in local usage.

Synonyms: musical instruments