marimba means A percussion instrument with African origins, similar to a xylophone with resonators, but much lower in range and darker in timbre.
marimba is pronounced /məˈɹɪm.bə/.
Why “marimba” is a great word
A large, resonant xylophone of African origin with tuned wooden bars struck by mallets, amplified by tubular, tuned resonators beneath each bar. Its name comes via Portuguese from a Bantu source, likely Kimbundu *marimba* ('xylophone'), first attested in English c. 1704. Unlike the xylophone, with its crisp, bright, and clattering articulation, or the vibraphone, with its metallic shimmer and mechanized tremolo, the marimba's voice is a realm of shadows and warmth. It is the sound of rain in a deep forest, of amber light pooled on a polished floor, of a memory felt rather than recalled—a resonance from a world before metal, where wood alone knew how to sing of the earth itself.
Etymology
From Portuguese marimba, via a Bantu source, perhaps Kimbundu marimba (“xylophone”).
noun
- A percussion instrument with African origins, similar to a xylophone with resonators, but much lower in range and darker in timbre.e.g.“The default ringtone for your iPhone is a marimba sound, but if you'd like to change it, start at the Home screen, then tap on the Settings icon.” — 2009, Scott Kelby, Terry White, The iPhone Book, Third Edition (Covers iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, and iPod Touch), Peachpit Press, →ISBN:
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.
- marimbalike 70% match — Resembling or characteristic of a marimba. vs marimba →
- xylorimba 68% match — A pitched percussion instrument corresponding to a xylophone with an extended range. vs marimba →
- marimbula 68% match — A Caribbean musical instrument, a kind of lamellophone with metal strips over a hole in a resonating box. vs marimba →
- vibraphone 68% match — A percussion instrument with a double row of tuned metal bars, each above a tubular resonator containing a motor-driven rotating vane, giving a vibrato effect. vs marimba →
- marimbaist 65% match — Synonym of marimbist. vs marimba →
- mbira 64% match — A thumb piano, a musical instrument having a small sound box fitted with a row of tuned tabs that are plucked with the thumbs, originating among the Shona of southern Africa; any type of plucked lamellophone of the same type as the Shona instrument. vs marimba →
- kalimba 62% match — A type of thumb piano, similar to the mbira. vs marimba →
- likembe 61% match — A musical instrument found in sub-Saharan Africa; a kind of lamellophone. vs marimba →