maraca (n.)

gourd rattle used as a Latin-American percussion instrument, 1813, from Portuguese, from a Brazilian native name. Related: Maracas.

also from 1813

Trends of maraca

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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stigma

1590s (earlier stigme, c. 1400), "mark made on skin by burning with a hot iron," from Latin stigma (plural stigmata), from Greek stigma (genitive stigmatos) "mark of a pointed instrument, puncture, tattoo-mark, brand," which is related to stizein "to mark, tattoo" (from PIE root

perfunctory

"done mechanically or without interest or zeal and merely for the sake of being rid of the duty of doing it; done so as to conform to the letter but not the spirit," 1580s, from Late Latin perfunctorius "careless, negligent," literally "like one who wishes to get through a thing,

ace

c. 1300, "one at dice," from Old French as "one at dice" (12c.), from Latin as "a unit, one, a whole, unity;" also the name of a small Roman coin (originally a rectangular bronze plaque weighing one pound, it eventually was reduced by depreciation to half an ounce; in imperial ti

opportunity

late 14c., opportunitie, "fit, convenient, or seasonable time," from Old French opportunite (13c.) and directly from Latin opportunitatem (nominative opportunitas) "fitness, convenience, suitableness, favorable time," from opportunus "fit, convenient, suitable, favorable," from t

attend

c. 1300, "be subject to" (obsolete); early 14c., "direct one's mind or energies" (archaic), from Old French atendre "to expect, wait for, pay attention" (12c., Modern French attendre) and directly from Latin attendere "give heed to," literally "to stretch toward," from ad "to, to

discrepancy

"variance or contrariety, especially of facts or sentiments," mid-15c. (discrepauns, discrepance), from Latin discrepantia "discordance, discrepancy," from discrepantem (nominative discrepans), present participle of discrepare "sound differently, differ," from dis- "apart, off" (

scapegoat

1530, "goat sent into the wilderness on the Day of Atonement as a symbolic bearer of the sins of the people," coined by Tyndale from scape, a shortening of escape (see scape (v.)) + goat; the whole word translating Latin caper emissarius, itself a translation in Vulgate of Hebrew

enterprise

early 15c., "an undertaking," formerly also enterprize, from Old French enterprise "an undertaking," noun use of fem. past participle of entreprendre "undertake, take in hand" (12c.), from entre- "between" (see entre-) + prendre "to take," contraction of prehendere "to catch hold

perpetual

mid-14c., perpetuel, "everlasting, unceasing, existing indefinitely, continuing forever in future time;" late 14c., "uninterrupted, continuous," from Old French perpetuel "without end" (12c.) and directly from Latin perpetualis "universal," in Medieval Latin "permanent," from per

muse

"to reflect, ponder, meditate; to be absorbed in thought," mid-14c., from Old French muser (12c.) "to ponder, dream, wonder; loiter, waste time," which is of uncertain origin; the explanation in Diez and Skeat is literally "to stand with one's nose in the air" (or, possibly, "to

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Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of maraca. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved March 14, 2025, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/maraca

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Harper Douglas, “Etymology of maraca,” Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed March 14, 2025, https://www.etymonline.com/word/maraca.

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Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of maraca.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/maraca. Accessed 14 March, 2025.

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D. Harper. “Etymology of maraca.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/maraca (accessed March 14, 2025).

updated on November 21, 2018

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