English word origin

Etymology of bongo

From Spanish bongo.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A striped bovine mammal found in Africa, Tragelaphus eurycerus.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Spanish bongo.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionbongoes

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "bongo"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish bongo"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "bongo",
      "bongo#Spanish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A striped bovine mammal found in Africa, Tragelaphus eurycerus."
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To play the bongo drums. · Of the heart, etc.: to beat with an irregular rhythm. · To hit something rhythmically with the hands.

noun

Either of a pair of small drums of Cuban origin, played by beating with the hands.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From United States Spanish bongó, from a Bantu language; probably Ekele boungu.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es-US",
        "3": "bongó"
      },
      "expansion": "United States Spanish bongó"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bnt",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Bantu"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "khy",
        "3": "boungu"
      },
      "expansion": "Ekele boungu"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "bongó",
      "bongó#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "boungu",
      "boungu#Ekele"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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        "To play the bongo drums.",
        "Of the heart, etc.: to beat with an irregular rhythm.",
        "To hit something rhythmically with the hands."
      ],
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        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Either of a pair of small drums of Cuban origin, played by beating with the hands."
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for bongo →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Ym9uZ28