flamenco

noun

fla·​men·​co flə-ˈmeŋ-(ˌ)kō 

plural flamencos

1

: a vigorous rhythmic dance style of the Andalusian Gypsies

also : a dance in flamenco style

2

: music or song suitable to accompany a flamenco dance

Did you know?

The Spanish word flamenco means “Flemish,” and its later usage in the sense “Gypsy-like,” especially in reference to a song, dance, and guitar-music style, has inspired a number of hypotheses about why the word flamenco came to be associated with Gypsies; however, all of these theories seem implausible. Perhaps more promisingly, in the later 19th century flamenco also meant “jaunty, cocky” and, in reference to women, “provocatively attractive,” The suggestion has been made that “Gypsylike” is a secondary development from these senses. The ordinary Spanish word for “Gypsy” is gitano, which like the English Gypsy, is altered from a word meaning “Egyptian.”

Examples of flamenco in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Take Sean Spicer, who followed up his brief and ignominious run as Trump’s press secretary by immediately donning a ruffled neon shirt and dancing the flamenco (poorly) on DWTS’s 28th season. —Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2024

Husband and wife duo Martin Santangelo and Soledad Barrio of Noche Flamenca take inspiration from classic flamenco performances during their four-night engagement this week. —Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 8 Aug. 2024

Martijn Vonk/Unsplash A last night was spent listening to the sounds of flamenco. —Sophie Yun Mancini, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Mar. 2024

Somewhere on the list of things that go together well: flamenco and taverns. —The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from flamenco of the Gypsies, literally, Flemish, from Middle Dutch Vlaminc Fleming

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1