flamenco

IPA/fləˈmeŋkəʊ/
KK[fləmˈɛŋkˌo]IPA/fləˈmeŋkəʊ/

flamenco — noun

  • flamencosingular
  • flamencosplural

1. a traditional style of dance and music from southern Spain, in which dancers mov

1.nounB1
Definition

a traditional style of dance and music from southern Spain, in which dancers move to fast guitar music and create rhythm by tapping their feet and clapping their hands.

Example

Megan and her friends went to a flamenco show in Seville last summer.

flamenco show — common collocation for a performance

Antonia has been taking flamenco lessons at a studio near her home.

Common collocations
  • flamenco dancer
  • flamenco guitar
  • flamenco show
  • flamenco music
  • flamenco singer
  • flamenco lesson

Grammar Patterns

flamenco + noun

the + noun + of flamenco

Usage Note

Flamenco is an uncountable noun, so you do not say 'a flamenco' or 'flamencos'. When referring to a single performance, use 'a flamenco show' or 'a piece of flamenco music'.

Common Mistakes

I learned a flamenco yesterday.
I learned a flamenco dance yesterday.
flamenco is uncountable; add a countable noun like 'dance' or 'song'.
She is a flamenco.
She is a flamenco dancer.
flamenco alone does not refer to a person.

Word family

  • flamenco dancer
    nounB1
  • flamenco guitar
    nounB1
  • flamenco music
    nounB1
  • flamenco singer
    nounB2

Common collocations

Nouns

  • flamenco dancer
  • flamenco guitar
  • flamenco music
  • flamenco show
  • flamenco singer
  • flamenco lesson

Phrases

  • flamenco performance
  • flamenco rhythm

Prepositions

  • of flamenco

Etymology

ArabicSpanishEnglish

Flamenco comes from Spanish flamenco. The name may come from the Flemish people (flamencos in Spanish) who were part of the Spanish court in the 1400s and 1500s and wore bright, colourful clothes that reminded people of the dancers' costumes. Another theory traces it to the Arabic felag mengu, meaning 'fugitive peasant', referring to the Andalusian Gypsies who developed the art form. The word first appeared in English in the late 1800s.