Science, ideas & the arts

marimba

A Bantu xylophone name, ma- 'many' + -rimba 'bar, note', passed to Portuguese and then to Central America, where the marimba became a national instrument; 20th-century orchestras took it to Germany and Japan.

Weakest linkCertain

The road to English

From Portuguese to Spanish, Mexican Spanish

From English to German

From English to Japanese

From English to Korean

1650Kimbundu

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

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