bomba

noun

bom·​ba ˈbōm-bə 

plural bombas

1

: a traditional Puerto Rican drum consisting of a barrel with a goatskin head

2

: a genre of Puerto Rican dance accompanied by drums and other percussion

also : a song sung by a soloist and chorus to accompany a bomba

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from American Spanish (Puerto Rico), probably feminine derivative of Spanish bombo "drum," derivative of the onomatopoeic base of earlier bomba "pump, bomb"

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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