abeng

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UK/əˈbɛŋ/UK/æ-/Caribbean/æˈbɛŋ/Caribbean/ˈæbɛŋ/

noun

An animal (usually bull) horn used by the Maroon people of Jamaica as a musical instrument; and also (historical) formerly by slaveholders to summon slaves to canefields and by the Maroon army to communicate cryptic messages over great distances.

OriginJamaican Creole abeng ← Akan abɛŋ →
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Meanings

nounabeng (plural abengs)

plural abengs

  1. JamaicaentertainmentAn animal (usually bull) horn used by the Maroon people of Jamaica as a musical instrument; and also (historical) formerly by slaveholders to summon slaves to canefields and by the Maroon army to communicate cryptic messages over great distances.

Origin

  1. Akanabɛŋ“animal horn; wind instrument”
  2. Jamaican Creoleabeng
  3. Englishabeng

Borrowed from Jamaican Creole abeng, from Akan abɛŋ (“animal horn; wind instrument”) (Twi).

More words from Jamaican Creole, Akan

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French abeng
  • abenganimal horn used by the Maroon people of Jamaica as a musical instrument, etc.

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Bangebenga
Cite this entry
APA

abeng. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abeng

MLA

“abeng.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abeng. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “abeng,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abeng.

Source: abeng on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.