kaseko means A musical genre from Suriname, a fusion of African, European and American styles. It carries an Arena rating of 1389, earned across 39 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, kaseko ranks #90 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #591 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #1,012 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #1,895 of 17,163 for Funniest Words.
Why “kaseko” is a great word
KASEKO — [Noun] A modern, syncretic genre of Surinamese music and dance, defined by its brisk tempo and fusion of African rhythmic structures, European melodic instrumentation, and American big-band influences. Its name is likely derived from the French colonial-era phrase *casser le corps* ("to break the body"), referring to a vigorous dance from the colonial era. Unlike *kawina*, a traditional Creole call-and-response form, or *calypso*, a Trinidadian art of lyrical wit, kaseko is a percussive, urban invention of the 20th century. It is the brassy blast of a saxophone over a complex *skratji* rhythm, the shimmer of sweat on a dancer’s brow in a Paramaribo street parade, and the resilient joy forged in the heat of shared history—a jubilant architecture where the broken body finds its recombining rhythm.
Etymology
Ultimately from French casser le corps ("break the body"), referring to a swift dance during the period when slavery was legal in the region.
noun
- A musical genre from Suriname, a fusion of African, European and American styles.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- cariso 57% match — A genre of folk music from Trinidad and Tobago, an ancestor to modern calypso, performed by mainly female singers called chantwells. vs kaseko →
- kizomba 56% match — A genre of Angolan popular music derived from the traditional semba dance. vs kaseko →
- kuduro 55% match — An energetic, danceable style of music originating in Angola, combining local styles like semba with influences from Caribbean music, especially zouk and soca. vs kaseko →
- zouk 54% match — A style of dance music originating in the French Antilles, combining Latin American, African and Western disco rhythms; a dance to this music vs kaseko →
- soca 54% match — A genre of music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the early 1970s and developed into a range of styles during the 1980s and after which primarily includes influences of African and Indian rhythms. vs kaseko →
- seggae 54% match — A genre of sega music that combines it with reggae and other non-native influences. vs kaseko →
- ska 53% match — A style of Jamaican dance music originating in the late 1950s, combining elements of Caribbean calypso and mento with American jazz and rhythm and blues; it was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. vs kaseko →
- soukous 52% match — A genre of African popular music, resembling rumba, that originated in the Congo region in the 1930s. vs kaseko →