marimorena

Spanish

Etymology

The word dates back to 1579, and a bar owner's wife, called Maria Morena or Mari Morena, who refused to serve some customers any of the high-quality wine. A violent row ensued. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maɾimoˈɾena/ [ma.ɾi.moˈɾe.na]
• Rhymes: -ena
• Syllabification: ma‧ri‧mo‧re‧na

Noun

marimorena f (plural marimorenas)

1. (colloquial) fuss, row, ruckus (verbal fight)

   Synonyms: alboroto, riña, pendencia, camorra

   • 1859, Benito Pérez Galdós, chapter V, in Aita Tettauen:

     Probablemente, tras la campaña en África vendrían otras marimorenas con diferentes naciones europeas o asiáticas, y de este continuo pelear resultaría mucha, muchísima gloria y poco dinero, porque los brazos abandonaban la cosecha del trigo por la de laureles.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

• Usually used in the phrase armarse la marimorena.

Further reading

• “marimorena”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28