goombay

English

Alternative forms

• gombay, gombey, gumba

Etymology

Afro-Caribbean dialects; compare Kongo nkombi, a type of drum.

Noun

goombay (countable and uncountable, plural goombays)

1. (music, dance, Bahamas, countable) A type of traditional Bahamian drum.
2. (music, dance, Bahamas, uncountable) A genre of folk music played with this drum.
3. (music, dance, Bahamas) A dance associated with this music genre.

Related terms

• gumbe

References

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “goombay, n.”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.