milonga

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish milonga, in turn from Brazilian Portuguese milonga (“chant”). Theories connect the word to the nineteenth century slave trade between South America and Africa. The ultimate source is unknown, but may relate to Kimbundu mulonga (“word”), or Kongo nlonga or Punu mulonga (“line, row”) in reference to dancers.

Noun

milonga (countable and uncountable, plural milongas)

1. A form of music originating in Argentina, Uruguay and Southern Brazil
   • 2007 January 26, Gia Kourlas, “Watching a History Lesson That’s Told Through Tango”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     In “Gath & Chaves,” a section named after a department store, women pose as mannequins but come to life to dance a tango, a waltz, a milonga and, finally, a mystifying number called “Hound Dog.”

2. A dance which accompanies this music

Derived terms

• milonguero

References

• “milonga, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Anagrams

• loaming

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish milonga.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /miˈlɔŋ.ɡaː/

Noun

milonga f (plural milonga's, diminutive milongaatje n)

1. milonga, style of dance related to tango
2. tango session
3. place for dancing tango

Portuguese

Etymology

Perhaps of African origin and from Kimbundu milonga (“issue, argument”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /miˈlõ.ɡɐ/

• Hyphenation: mi‧lon‧ga

Noun

milonga f (plural milongas)

1. milonga (music)
2. milonga (dance)

Derived terms

• milongueiro

Spanish

Etymology

Related to Portuguese milonga, perhaps both ultimately of African origin and from Kimbundu milonga (“issue, argument”).

Noun

milonga f (plural milongas)

1. milonga (music)
2. milonga (dance)
3. (colloquial) a lie or falsehood

Derived terms

• milonguero

 

Further reading

• “milonga”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10