marimba

See also: marimbą

English

Etymology

From Portuguese marimba, via a Bantu source, perhaps Kimbundu marimba (“xylophone”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: mə-rĭmʹbə, IPA^(key): /məˈɹɪm.bə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: marim‧ba

Noun

marimba (plural marimbas)

1. (music) A percussion instrument with African origins, similar to a xylophone with resonators, but much lower in range and darker in timbre.

   Synonym: (see usage notes) marimbaphone

   Hyponyms: glass marimba, stone marimba

   • 2009, Scott Kelby, Terry White, The iPhone Book, Third Edition (Covers iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, and iPod Touch), Peachpit Press, →ISBN:

     The default ringtone for your iPhone is a marimba sound, but if you'd like to change it, start at the Home screen, then tap on the Settings icon.

Derived terms

• diamond marimba
• marimbalike
• marimbist (marimbaist)
• xylorimba (xylo-marimba)

Translations

musical instrument

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: маримба f (marimba)
• Catalan: marimba f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 馬林巴琴 / 马林巴琴 (zh) (mǎlínbāqín)

• Dutch: marimba (nl) m
• Finnish: marimba (fi)
• French: marimba (fr) m
• German: Marimbaphon n
• Hungarian: marimba (hu)
• Irish: mairimbe f
• Italian: marimba
• Japanese: マリンバ (ja) (marinba)
• Portuguese: marimba (pt) f
• Romanian: marimba (ro) f
• Russian: мари́мба (ru) f (marímba)
• Spanish: marimba (es) f
• Swahili: marimba
• Swedish: marimba (sv) c
• Tagalog: marimba
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can

Further reading

• marimba on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Cebuano

Etymology

From English marimba, from Portuguese, from Bantu.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ma‧rim‧ba

Noun

marimba

1. a marimba

Dutch

Etymology

From Portuguese marimba.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ma‧rim‧ba

Noun

marimba c (plural marimba's, diminutive marimbaatje n)

1. marimba

Finnish

Etymology

From Portuguese marimba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑrimbɑ/, [ˈmɑ̝rimbɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑrimbɑ
• Syllabification^(key): ma‧rim‧ba
• Hyphenation^(key): ma‧rim‧ba

Noun

marimba

1. (music) marimba

Declension

Inflection of marimba (Kotus type 13/katiska, no gradation)
nominative		marimba	marimbat
genitive		marimban	marimboiden marimboitten marimbojen
partitive		marimbaa	marimboita marimboja
illative		marimbaan	marimboihin
		singular	plural
nominative		marimba	marimbat
accusative	nom.	marimba	marimbat
	gen.	marimban
genitive		marimban	marimboiden marimboitten marimbojen marimbain rare
partitive		marimbaa	marimboita marimboja
inessive		marimbassa	marimboissa
elative		marimbasta	marimboista
illative		marimbaan	marimboihin
adessive		marimballa	marimboilla
ablative		marimbalta	marimboilta
allative		marimballe	marimboille
essive		marimbana	marimboina
translative		marimbaksi	marimboiksi
abessive		marimbatta	marimboitta
instructive		—	marimboin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of marimba (Kotus type 13/katiska, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative marimbani marimbani accusative nom. marimbani marimbani gen. marimbani genitive marimbani marimboideni marimboitteni marimbojeni marimbaini rare partitive marimbaani marimboitani marimbojani inessive marimbassani marimboissani elative marimbastani marimboistani illative marimbaani marimboihini adessive marimballani marimboillani ablative marimbaltani marimboiltani allative marimballeni marimboilleni essive marimbanani marimboinani translative marimbakseni marimboikseni abessive marimbattani marimboittani instructive — — comitative — marimboineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative marimbasi marimbasi accusative nom. marimbasi marimbasi gen. marimbasi genitive marimbasi marimboidesi marimboittesi marimbojesi marimbaisi rare partitive marimbaasi marimboitasi marimbojasi inessive marimbassasi marimboissasi elative marimbastasi marimboistasi illative marimbaasi marimboihisi adessive marimballasi marimboillasi ablative marimbaltasi marimboiltasi allative marimballesi marimboillesi essive marimbanasi marimboinasi translative marimbaksesi marimboiksesi abessive marimbattasi marimboittasi instructive — — comitative — marimboinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative marimbamme marimbamme accusative nom. marimbamme marimbamme gen. marimbamme genitive marimbamme marimboidemme marimboittemme marimbojemme marimbaimme rare partitive marimbaamme marimboitamme marimbojamme inessive marimbassamme marimboissamme elative marimbastamme marimboistamme illative marimbaamme marimboihimme adessive marimballamme marimboillamme ablative marimbaltamme marimboiltamme allative marimballemme marimboillemme essive marimbanamme marimboinamme translative marimbaksemme marimboiksemme abessive marimbattamme marimboittamme instructive — — comitative — marimboinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative marimbanne marimbanne accusative nom. marimbanne marimbanne gen. marimbanne genitive marimbanne marimboidenne marimboittenne marimbojenne marimbainne rare partitive marimbaanne marimboitanne marimbojanne inessive marimbassanne marimboissanne elative marimbastanne marimboistanne illative marimbaanne marimboihinne adessive marimballanne marimboillanne ablative marimbaltanne marimboiltanne allative marimballenne marimboillenne essive marimbananne marimboinanne translative marimbaksenne marimboiksenne abessive marimbattanne marimboittanne instructive — — comitative — marimboinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative marimbansa marimbansa accusative nom. marimbansa marimbansa gen. marimbansa genitive marimbansa marimboidensa marimboittensa marimbojensa marimbainsa rare partitive marimbaansa marimboitaan marimbojaan marimboitansa marimbojansa inessive marimbassaan marimbassansa marimboissaan marimboissansa elative marimbastaan marimbastansa marimboistaan marimboistansa illative marimbaansa marimboihinsa adessive marimballaan marimballansa marimboillaan marimboillansa ablative marimbaltaan marimbaltansa marimboiltaan marimboiltansa allative marimballeen marimballensa marimboilleen marimboillensa essive marimbanaan marimbanansa marimboinaan marimboinansa translative marimbakseen marimbaksensa marimboikseen marimboiksensa abessive marimbattaan marimbattansa marimboittaan marimboittansa instructive — — comitative — marimboineen marimboinensa

Further reading

• “marimba”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.ʁim.ba/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

marimba m (plural marimbas)

1. marimba

Polish

marimba

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish marimba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈrim.ba/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -imba
• Syllabification: ma‧rim‧ba

Noun

marimba f

1. marimba (percussion instrument with African origins, similar to a xylophone with resonators, but much lower in range and darker in timbre)

Declension

Declension of marimba

	singular	plural
nominative	marimba	marimby
genitive	marimby	marimb
dative	marimbie	marimbom
accusative	marimbę	marimby
instrumental	marimbą	marimbami
locative	marimbie	marimbach
vocative	marimbo	marimby

Related terms

nouns

• marimbafon

Further reading

• marimba in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• marimba in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• marimba in PWN's encyclopedia

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Kimbundu marimba.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /maˈɾĩ.bɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /maˈɾĩ.bɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /maˈɾĩ.ba/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐˈɾĩ.bɐ/

• Rhymes: -ĩbɐ
• Hyphenation: ma‧rim‧ba

Noun

marimba f (plural marimbas)

1. marimba (musical instrument similar to a xylophone)

Derived terms

• marimbador
• marimbeiro
• marimbista

Further reading

• “marimba”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “marimba”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “marimba”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /marǐmba/
• Hyphenation: ma‧rim‧ba

Noun

marìmba f (Cyrillic spelling марѝмба)

1. marimba

Declension

Declension of marimba

	singular	plural
nominative	marimba	marimbe
genitive	marimbe	marimba
dative	marimbi	marimbama
accusative	marimbu	marimbe
vocative	marimbo	marimbe
locative	marimbi	marimbama
instrumental	marimbom	marimbama

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈɾimba/ [maˈɾĩm.ba]
• Rhymes: -imba
• Syllabification: ma‧rim‧ba

Noun

marimba f (plural marimbas)

1. marimba

Derived terms

• marimbero
• marimbista

Further reading

• “marimba”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swahili

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Bantu [Term?].

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Noun

marimba class IX (plural marimba class X)

1. marimba, xylophone