*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tango

Borrowed from Rioplatense Spanish tango, probably from a Niger-Congo language (compare Ibibio tamgu (“to dance”)).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary 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 standard ballroom dance in 4/4 time; or a social dance, the Argentine tango. · A Spanish flamenco dance with different steps from the Argentine. · A piece of music suited to such a dance. · A dark orange colour shade; deep tangerine

verb

To dance the tango. · To mingle or interact (with each other).

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

Borrowed from Rioplatense Spanish tango, probably from a Niger-Congo language (compare Ibibio tamgu (“to dance”)).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es-AR",
        "3": "tango"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Rioplatense Spanish tango"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nic"
      },
      "expansion": "Niger-Congo"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ibb",
        "2": "tamgu",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to dance"
      },
      "expansion": "Ibibio tamgu (“to dance”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tango",
      "tango#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "tamgu",
      "tamgu#Ibibio"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A standard ballroom dance in 4/4 time; or a social dance, the Argentine tango.",
        "A Spanish flamenco dance with different steps from the Argentine.",
        "A piece of music suited to such a dance.",
        "A dark orange colour shade; deep tangerine"
      ],
      "tags": [],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To dance the tango.",
        "To mingle or interact (with each other)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "slang"
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative letter-case form of Tango from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet. · A target; an enemy.

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

From translingual Tango (representing the letter T), from English tango (see above).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Derivation mentionTangomul
  • Derivation mentiontangoen
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": "mul",
        "3": "Tango"
      },
      "expansion": "translingual Tango"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "en",
        "3": "tango"
      },
      "expansion": "English tango"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
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      "Tango#Translingual"
    ],
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    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative letter-case form of Tango from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet.",
        "A target; an enemy."
      ],
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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 tango →

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-dGFuZ28