marimba

Where does the word "marimba" come from? It comes from Bantu marimba, and was adopted directly into English (1700s).

Marimba’s story begins in Bantu: marimba meant “a wooden percussion instrument.” A wooden xylophone-like instrument played across central and southern Africa. It reached English by 1700s as marimba. African marimbas were brought to Central America, where Guatemala made it the national instrument. Today, marimba means a wooden-keyed percussion instrument resembling a large xylophone.

1. Stage 1 · Bantu · 1500s marimba "a wooden percussion instrument", a wooden xylophone-like instrument played across central and southern Africa.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1700s marimba "a wooden-keyed percussion instrument", African marimbas were brought to Central America, where Guatemala made it the national instrument.