shack-shack

English

Etymology

Imitative of its sound.

Noun

shack-shack (plural shack-shacks)

1. (music, Caribbean) A child's rattle, used in various Caribbean folk music traditions.
2. The seed pod of various trees, especially the wild tamarind, woman's tongue tree (Albizia lebbeck) and flamboyant (Delonix regia).

Usage notes

The spellings shak-shak or chac-chac may be more common in reference to the musical instrument. The seed pod may be called shack-shack in reference to the sound being like that created by the rattle.

Synonyms

• shak-shak