goombah
/ˈɡumbɑ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A person of Italian descent (often implies the person is connected to Italian organized crime)
American usage; Derogatory; Slang
noun
A companion, pal, close friend, or associate, especially among Italian-American men. It sometimes has the connotation of an older friend who acts as a patron, protector or adviser.
American usage; Slang
noun
Alternative form of gumbe, a Jamaican drum.
Etymology
From Neapolitan cumpà and Sicilian cumpari (“buddy, pal”, akin to Italian compare, Spanish compadre, literally “godfather”), from Latin compater, a word often used to refer to “family friends” or friends close enough to be considered an “aunt” or “uncle”, though not related by blood. To an English-speaking ear, the unaspirated stops of Southern Italian dialects (especially Neapolitan) are interpreted as voiced stops, yielding goombah. Compare South American Spanish cumpa. Doublet of compadre, compeer, and compere.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: cumpà, cumpari, compater
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɡumbɑ/
- British English: /ɡuːmˈbɑː/
Usage
- American usage
- Derogatory
- Slang