soukous

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noun

A genre of African popular music, resembling rumba, that originated in the Congo region in the 1930s.

OriginFrench secouer →
RareScrabble 11
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Meanings

nounsoukous (uncountable)
  1. uncountableentertainmentA genre of African popular music, resembling rumba, that originated in the Congo region in the 1930s.

    The title makes reference to Congolese soukous music, and so does Mr. Koenig’s guitar figure.

    2007 June 18, Kelefa Sanneh, “Preppie Afro-Pop and Other Odd Blends”, in New York Times

Origin

  1. Frenchsecouer“to shake”
  2. Englishsoukous

From French secouer (“to shake”).

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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