SAMBA

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does samba mean? 

• SAMBA (noun)
  The noun SAMBA has 4 senses:

1. large west African tree having large palmately lobed leaves and axillary cymose panicles of small white flowers and one-winged seeds; yields soft white to pale yellow wood

2. music composed for dancing the samba

3. a lively ballroom dance from Brazil

4. a form of canasta using three decks of cards and six jokers

  Familiarity information: SAMBA used as a noun is uncommon.

• SAMBA (verb)
  The verb SAMBA has 1 sense:

1. dance the samba

  Familiarity information: SAMBA used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SAMBA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Large west African tree having large palmately lobed leaves and axillary cymose panicles of small white flowers and one-winged seeds; yields soft white to pale yellow wood

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

arere; obeche; obechi; samba; Triplochiton scleroxcylon

Hypernyms ("samba" is a kind of...):

tree (a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms)

Holonyms ("samba" is a member of...):

genus Triplochiton; Triplochiton (small genus of tropical African trees with maplelike leaves)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Music composed for dancing the samba

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("samba" is a kind of...):

dance music (music to dance to)

Derivation:

samba (dance the samba)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A lively ballroom dance from Brazil

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("samba" is a kind of...):

ballroom dance; ballroom dancing (any of a variety of social dances performed by couples in a ballroom)

Derivation:

samba (dance the samba)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A form of canasta using three decks of cards and six jokers

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("samba" is a kind of...):

basket rummy; canasta; meld (a form of rummy using two decks of cards and four jokers; jokers and deuces are wild; the object is to form groups of the same rank)

• SAMBA (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they samba    ... he / she / it sambas   
Past simple: sambaed   
Past participle: sambaed   
-ing form: sambaing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Dance the samba

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "samba" is one way to...):

dance; trip the light fantastic; trip the light fantastic toe (move in a pattern; usually to musical accompaniment; do or perform a dance)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue samba

Derivation:

samba (a lively ballroom dance from Brazil)

samba (music composed for dancing the samba)