macumba
Portuguese, noun/maˈkũ.bɐ/
macumba is spelled M-A-C-U-M-B-A (7 letters) and appears about once in every 2 million words in written Portuguese, the 43,330th most frequent Portuguese word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Macumba is a Portuguese feminine noun meaning “a percussive musical instrument of African origin often used in traditional rituals” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) defines it as “antigo instrumento de percussão de origem africana, espécie de canzá que consistia num tubo de taquara com…”.
What does macumba mean in English?
noun
- 1
femininea percussive musical instrument of African origin often used in traditional rituals
- 2
feminineany Afro-Brazilian religion, especially but not limited to Candomblé, Umbanda, and Quimbanda, so named after their use of the macumba and other African instruments
- 3
Brazilfemininea curse or hex, a malevolent spell, especially one performed in the context of Afro-Brazilian religions
- 4
Brazilfeminineany spell or act of sorcery, especially one performed in the context of Afro-Brazilian religions for the benefit of someone
- 5
Brazilfeminineofferings to the entities worshiped in those religions, often for the realization of a spell
Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Portuguese dictionaries define it
noun: 1. antigo instrumento de percussão de origem africana, espécie de canzá que consistia num tubo de taquara com cortes transversais onde se friccionavam duas varetas, e que era outrora usado em terreiros de cultos afro-brasileiros 2. designação genérica dos cultos afro-brasileiros originários do nagô e que receberam influências de outras religiões africanas (por exemplo, de Angola e do Congo), e também ameríndias, católicas, espíritas e ocultistas 3. o ritual celebrado nesses cultos 4. (Derivação: por extensão de sentido) designação leiga dos cultos afro-brasileiros em geral (e seus rituais respectivos)
The definition in the Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), in Portuguese.
Source: Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of macumba
- macumbas plural
Source: English Wiktionary and Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce macumba?
- Brazil /maˈkũ.bɐ/
- Portugal /mɐˈkũ.bɐ/
- Portugal /mɐ.ˈkũ.bɐ/
Sources: English Wiktionary, Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to macumba
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is macumba in Portuguese?
macumba appears about once in every 2 million words in written Portuguese.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).