Meanings
plural candombes
- countableuncountableentertainmentA musical style of Uruguay originating from African slaves.
The 10 song-and-dance numbers include candombe rhythms, with African roots, but the music is mostly murga, Uruguayan carnival sounds.
1999 August 1, Alvin Klein, “Cheating Death, Uruguayan Style”, in The New York Times, →ISSN1 more example
"Candombe is the only original folkloric music in Uruguay, and it is a product of the black community," said Julio Olivera, an artist and head of the Association for the Development of Afro-Uruguayan Art and Culture.
1993 May 7, Nathaniel C. Nash, quoting Julio Olivera, “Uruguay Is on Notice: Blacks Want Recognition”, in The New York Times, →ISSN - countableuncountabledanceThe dance to this music.
- countableuncountableentertainmentA type of drum used to accompany this music.
Together, we watched locals and tourists practice their dance moves in the center, a converted warehouse whose walls were lined with candombe drums carved with images of slave ship hulls filled with chained human cargo.
2014 September 12, Michael T. Luongo, “Argentina Rediscovers Its African Roots”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
Origin
- Rioplatense Spanishcandombe
- Englishcandombe
From Rioplatense Spanish candombe.
More words from Rioplatense Spanish
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
candombe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/candombe
“candombe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/candombe. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “candombe,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/candombe.
Source: candombe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.