Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mumbo jumbo

/ˌmʌmboʊˈdʒʌmboʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.51 in modern English

Syllables: mum-bo jum-bo
IPA: /ˌmʌmboʊˈdʒʌmboʊ/

27

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A deity or other supernatural being said to have been worshipped by certain West African peoples; an idol.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Any object of superstition; religious words and/or actions which are seen as superstitious or fraudulent.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Any confusing or meaningless speech; nonsense, gibberish.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"So likewise a day comes when the Runic Thor, with his Eddas, must withdraw into dimness; and many an African Mumbo-Jumbo and Indian Pawpaw be utterly abolished."
"Rev. Quack's healing services are little more than mumbo jumbo."
"Vera was made to dip her hand into the bird's blood and then make a handprint on a sheet of paper while the witches all chanted some mumbo-jumbo."
""And what have you got to say? Another lot of mumbo-jumbo like your learned associates over there?""
"What is going on in all this religious mumbo-jumbo that is so foreign to the positivism of contemporary scholarship is a reenactment of the history of the soul before the beginning of terrestrial evolution."
"Football lingo is mumbo jumbo to me."

Etymology

Probably from Mandinka maamajomboo (“mask; masked dancer”); or perhaps from /l/-vocalization in the words mumble and jumble.

Word Breakdown

Root: maamajomboo

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌmʌmboʊˈdʒʌmboʊ/
British English: /mʌmbəʊˈdʒʌmbəʊ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

mumbo jumbos (plural) mumbo-jumbo (alternative)

Phrases

mumbo-jumbery

Synonyms

absurdity all my eye all my eye and Betty Martin apple grease applesauce bafflegab balderdash balls baloney banana oil Bandini baragouin

Rhymes With

jumbo colombo dumbo gumbo trumbo bumbo umbo rumbo

Questions

How do you pronounce mumbo jumbo?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌmʌmboʊˈdʒʌmboʊ/.
What does mumbo jumbo mean?: A deity or other supernatural being said to have been worshipped by certain West African peoples; an idol.
Where does mumbo jumbo come from?: Probably from Mandinka maamajomboo (“mask; masked dancer”); or perhaps from /l/-vocalization in the words mumble and jumble.

How to pronounce mumbo jumbo

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “mumbo jumbo”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌmʌmboʊˈdʒʌmboʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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