capoeira

noun

ca·po·ei·ra ˌkä-pə-ˈwā-rə

ˌkäp-ˈwā-

: a Brazilian dance of African origin that incorporates martial arts movements such as kicks and chops

Examples of capoeira in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The roughly 75-minute work for 13 men brilliantly fuses a contemporary theatricality with street dance, capoeira, martial arts, and Sufi imagery to create a sense of communal ritual and power. —

BostonGlobe.com, 19 Jan. 2023 In the classroom next door, the instructor performed capoeira and sang in Portuguese. —

Brandon Drenon, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Oct. 2022 To play an agile elf, Córdova studied various martial arts, including wushu, kung fu, and capoeira, while Boniadi took gardening and perfume workshops to prepare for her role as a healer. —

Devan Coggan, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2022 There will be DJs, jazz performances, a sound bath, art and capoeira workshops and performances by the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles. —

Carolina A. Mirandacolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2022 See all Example Sentences for capoeira

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'capoeira.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Brazilian Portuguese, kind of martial art, ruffian skilled in this art, fugitive slave living in the forest, from capão island of forest in a clear-cut area, from Tupi kaʔapáũ, from kaʔá forest + paũ round

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of capoeira was in 1928

See more words from the same year