tango
UK /ˈtæ̞ŋɡəʊ̯/ · US /ˈtæ̝ŋɡoʊ̯/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms tangos tangoes tangoing tangoed
- noun (dance) A standard ballroom dance in 4/4 time; or a social dance, the Argentine tango.
- noun (dance) A Spanish flamenco dance with different steps from the Argentine.
- noun (music) A piece of music suited to such a dance.
- noun A dark orange colour shade; deep tangerine
- verb To dance the tango.
- verb (slang, intransitive) To mingle or interact (with each other).
- noun (US, law enforcement, military slang) A target; an enemy. “Tango down!”
- proper noun A surname.
Etymology
Borrowed from Rioplatense Spanish tango, probably from a Niger-Congo language (compare Ibibio tamgu (“to dance”)).
From translingual Tango (representing the letter T), from English tango (see above).
* Borrowed from Italian Tango, probably a patronymic surname from a Germanic personal name.
* Borrowed from Japanese 丹後 (Tango), the name of an old province of central Japan.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “tango”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details