flamenco means A genre of folk music and dance native to Andalusia, in Spain.
flamenco is pronounced /fləˈmɛŋkəʊ/.
Why “flamenco” is a great word
Flamenco is an expressive song, dance, and instrumental music of Andalusian Spain, characterized by complex rhythms and passionate delivery. From Spanish *flamenco* ("Flemish, Fleming"), from Middle Dutch *Vlaminc* ("Fleming"), with the term later applied in Spanish to the Romani people of Andalusia and subsequently to their art form; first attested in English in 1880 in reference to 'gypsy' and 1882 for the dance. Unlike the codified, narrative-driven architecture of classical ballet, or the intimate, staccato embrace of the tango, flamenco is a solo cry rooted in earth and exile. It is the raw scrape of a *cante jondo*, the sudden tempest of a dancer's *zapateado*, and the stark punctuation of a *golpe* against the guitar's wood—the dancer's body becoming both the accusation and the absolution.
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish flamenco, from Middle Dutch vlaminc (“Fleming”) (> Dutch Vlaming).
noun
- A genre of folk music and dance native to Andalusia, in Spain.e.g.“It's impossible to tell the story of flamenco without talking about Lorca, who found in it a source of inspiration in a lifelong political-cultural-sexual struggle against bourgeois philistinism.”
- A song or dance performed in such a style.e.g.“La Niña was so goddam terrific that after a month of singing with the vocal trio, she was singing solo and she was dancing a flamenco better'n a gypsy fireball!”
verb
- To dance flamenco.e.g.“"Can you flamenco?" "If I have to. How about you?" "Love, I can barely waltz. Jive a bit if I'm pissed enough."”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- flamencolike 73% match — Resembling or characteristic of the flamenco dance. vs flamenco →
- fandango 69% match — A form of lively flamenco music and dance that has many regional variations (e.g. fandango de Huelva), some of which have their own names (e.g. malagueña, granadina). vs flamenco →
- flamencology 67% match — The study of flamenco. vs flamenco →
- flamencological 65% match — Of or relating to flamencology. vs flamenco →
- farruca 63% match — A form of Flamenco music and dance, probably originating in Galicia, traditionally danced only by men. vs flamenco →
- flamencologist 61% match — Someone who studies flamenco. vs flamenco →
- zambra 60% match — A flamenco dance associated with Andalusia. vs flamenco →
- fado 56% match — A Portuguese folk song, usually featuring a single vocalist, Portuguese guitar and sometimes classical guitar. Lyrical themes are often melancholic in nature; the structure of the song is of greater importance. vs flamenco →