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Mambo

3 stages from Kikongo to English.

Today it means a lively Cuban dance and music style, popular in mid-20th-century ballrooms
1
Stage 1 of 3
mambu
Kikongo · ancient
"words, matters"
meaning "words", "conversation", or "important matters"
2
Stage 2 of 3
mambo
Cuban Spanish · 1930s-1940s
"a lively Afro-Cuban music and dance style"
developed into a lively Afro-Cuban music and dance genre
3
Stage 3 of 3
mambo
English · 1950s
"a lively Latin dance and music style"
adopted as the Cuban dance craze spread internationally
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