bossa nova

/ˈbɒsə ˈnəʊvə/

noun

A lively Brazilian dance that is similar to the samba.

OriginBrazilian Portuguese bossa nova →
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Meanings

nounbossa nova (countable and uncountable, plural bossa novas)

plural bossa novas

  1. countableuncountableA lively Brazilian dance that is similar to the samba.
  2. countableuncountableThe music of that dance.
    1. countableuncountableA genre of music originating from Brazil, similar to a fusion of jazz and samba music, no longer closely associated with the Brazilian dance.

Origin

  1. Brazilian Portuguesebossa“inclination, propensity, trend”
  2. Brazilian Portuguesebossa nova
  3. Englishbossa nova

Borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese bossa nova, from colloquial Brazilian Portuguese bossa (“inclination, propensity, trend”, literally “protuberance”) + nova (“new”). Compare the English expression new wave, or the French nouvelle vague.

More words from Brazilian Portuguese

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian бо́са но́ва, бо́са но́ва
  • бо́са но́ва (bósa nóva)dance
  • бо́са но́ва (bósa nóva)music
Chinese Mandarin 巴薩諾瓦 /巴萨诺瓦, 巴薩諾瓦 /巴萨诺瓦
  • 巴薩諾瓦 /巴萨诺瓦dance
  • 巴薩諾瓦 /巴萨诺瓦music
Czech bossa nova, bossanova
  • bossa novadance
  • bossanovadance
  • bossa novamusic
  • bossanovamusic
Dutch bossanova, bossanova
  • bossanovadance
  • bossanovamusic
Finnish bossa nova, bossa nova
  • bossa novadance
  • bossa novamusic
French bossa nova, bossa nova
  • bossa novadance
  • bossa novamusic
German Bossa Nova, Bossa Nova
  • Bossa Novadance
  • Bossa Novamusic
Polish bossa nova, bossa nova
  • bossa novadance
  • bossa novamusic
Portuguese bossa nova, bossa nova
  • bossa novadance
  • bossa novamusic
Romanian bossa-nova, bossa-nova
  • bossa-novadance
  • bossa-novamusic
Russian босано́ва, босано́ва
  • босано́ва (bosanóva)dance
  • босано́ва (bosanóva)music
Cite this entry
APA

bossa nova. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bossa%20nova

MLA

“bossa nova.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bossa%20nova. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bossa nova,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bossa%20nova.

Source: bossa nova on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.