Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A dance of Cuban origin, combining complex footwork with a pronounced movement of the hips.
  • noun A modern ballroom adaptation of this dance.
  • noun The music for either of these dances.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a slow-paced Cuban partner dance in 4:4 time
  • verb To dance the rumba.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun syncopated music in duple time for dancing the rumba
  • noun a ballroom dance based on the Cuban folk dance
  • verb dance the rhumba
  • noun a folk dance in duple time that originated in Cuba with Spanish and African elements; features complex footwork and violent movement

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[American Spanish, from Spanish rumbo, ship's course, revelry, pomp; see rhumb.]

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