flamenco
noun
Did you know?
The Spanish word flamenco means “Flemish,” and its later usage in the sense “Gypsy-like,” especially in reference to a song, dance, and guitar-music style, has inspired a number of hypotheses about why the word flamenco came to be associated with Gypsies; however, all of these theories seem implausible. Perhaps more promisingly, in the later 19th century flamenco also meant “jaunty, cocky” and, in reference to women, “provocatively attractive,” The suggestion has been made that “Gypsylike” is a secondary development from these senses. The ordinary Spanish word for “Gypsy” is gitano, which like the English Gypsy, is altered from a word meaning “Egyptian.”
Examples of flamenco in a Sentence
Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
The story finds the singer playing two characters, a devoted young Catholic woman pining for a handsome street musician and a sultry flamenco dancer.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Apr. 2025
Dinner and a show What better way to be introduced to Madrid than with a flamenco show, a folk dance tradition dating back to the late 18th century.
—Anna Haines, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
The globe-trotting track opens with some stunning flamenco finger-picking from Marcin and Martínez’s booming vocals.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flamenco
Cite this Entry
“Flamenco.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flamenco. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share