banjo

Where does the word "banjo" come from? It comes from Kimbundu mbanza, passing through Caribbean Creole before entering English (1700s-1800s).

Banjo’s story begins in Kimbundu: mbanza meant “a stringed instrument.” A stringed instrument of Central African origin. By 1600s-1700s, the word had taken hold in Caribbean Creole as banza. Carried by enslaved Africans to the Caribbean and adapted. It reached English by 1700s-1800s as banjo. Enslaved West Africans in the Caribbean and American South built the gourd instrument, later taken up by minstrel shows. Today, banjo means a stringed musical instrument with a long neck and a round, drum-like body.

1. Stage 1 · Kimbundu · medieval mbanza "a stringed instrument", a stringed instrument of Central African origin.
2. Stage 2 · Caribbean Creole · 1600s-1700s banza "a stringed folk instrument", carried by enslaved Africans to the Caribbean and adapted.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1700s-1800s banjo "a stringed instrument with a round body", enslaved West Africans in the Caribbean and American South built the gourd instrument, later taken up by minstrel shows.