Bongo
/ˈbɒŋɡoʊ/noun
A pair of small, open-ended drums joined together and played by hand.
Did you know?The modern English word likely came into English through Spanish from African languages, but its exact source is uncertain, which makes it a real linguistic mystery rather than a clean ancient spell-word.
Etymological Timeline
19th–20th Century
English
bongo
“A pair of small hand-played drums”
19th–20th Century
Spanish
bongo
“A drum name borrowed into colonial-era vocabulary”
19th–20th Century
African languages
bongo
“Likely a source form for a drum or percussion term, though the exact origin is uncertain”
Unknown
Uncertain
?
“The ultimate origin is not securely established in standard references”