flamenco
noun
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The Spanish word flamenco means “Flemish,” and its later usage in the sense “Gypsy-like,” especially in reference to a song, dance, and guitar-music style, has inspired a number of hypotheses about why the word flamenco came to be associated with Gypsies; however, all of these theories seem implausible. Perhaps more promisingly, in the later 19th century flamenco also meant “jaunty, cocky” and, in reference to women, “provocatively attractive,” The suggestion has been made that “Gypsylike” is a secondary development from these senses. The ordinary Spanish word for “Gypsy” is gitano, which like the English Gypsy, is altered from a word meaning “Egyptian.”
Examples of flamenco in a Sentence
Patrick Neas, Kansas City Star, 24 June 2024
The title marks a search for balance between the classical and the traditional elements of Spanish dance and flamenco, and between the individual and the group.
—The New Yorker, 14 June 2024
The chef José Pizarro buzzes through the covered market in Barbate at speed–past flamenco buskers holding their guitars up to their chins, and pomegranates, dragon fruit, and crab’s feet—making a beeline for razor clams and bluefin tuna, called atún rojo in Spain for its ruby flesh.
—Lydia Bell, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 May 2024
The album will have a lot of romantic tracks, lots of exciting lyrics, some rock, some flamenco.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for flamenco 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flamenco.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Flamenco.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flamenco. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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