*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of semba

Borrowed from Portuguese semba, from Kimbundu semba (“belly-bump”), from Proto-Bantu [Term?]. Doublet of samba.

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In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A genre of traditional music and dance from Angola.

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

Borrowed from Portuguese semba, from Kimbundu semba (“belly-bump”), from Proto-Bantu [Term?]. Doublet of samba.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionsembapt
  • Derivation mentionsembakmb
  • Doublet mentionsambaen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "pt:semba",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Portuguese\", \"term\" : \"semba\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"pt\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"semba\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"semba\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pt",
        "3": "semba"
      },
      "expansion": "Portuguese semba"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "kmb",
        "3": "semba",
        "4": "",
        "5": "belly-bump"
      },
      "expansion": "Kimbundu semba (“belly-bump”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bnt-pro",
        "3": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Bantu [Term?]"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "samba"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of samba"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "pt:semba",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nKimbundu risemba\nKimbundu sembabor.\nPortuguese sembabor.\nEnglish semba"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "semba",
      "semba#Portuguese"
    ],
    [
      "semba",
      "semba#Kimbundu"
    ],
    [
      "samba",
      "samba#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A genre of traditional music and dance from Angola."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "26e4548eab3f8a9433c1a5653c6d13f4daf92a3096f63c5e4ea128d66267a316",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0ea53abbff9b06ba4a47f1b9052cd6310e1d06c2de6da86f0d1dfc93326b23f6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 5417010
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 semba →

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-c2VtYmE