maraca

From Brazilian Portuguese maraca, derived from Old Tupi maraká or Paraguayan Guarani mbaraka (“rattle”).

• (UK, US, General Australian) IPA^(key): /məˈɹæ.kə/

  • Audio (General Australian):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /məˈɹɑ.kə/
• Rhymes: -ækə, -ɑːkə
• Hyphenation: ma‧ra‧ca

maraca (plural maracas)

1. (music) A Latin American percussion instrument consisting of a hollow-gourd rattle containing pebbles or beans and often played in pairs, as a rhythm instrument.
   • 2022 March 25, Helen Leigh, “Defiant Jazz”, in Severance, season 1, episode 7, spoken by Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman):

     Helly, please approach the MDE cart. You may choose one genre and one accessory… the maraca. Excellent choice.

2. (slang, in the plural) Breasts.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:breasts

• maracaist

• Camara

Borrowed from Spanish maraca, from Paraguayan Guarani mbaraká (“rattle”).

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [məˈɾa.kə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [maˈɾa.ka]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aka
• Hyphenation: ma‧ra‧ca

maraca f (plural maraques)

1. (music) maraca

Borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese maraca, derived from Old Tupi maraká or Paraguayan Guarani mbaraká (“rattle”).

• IPA^(key): /mɑˈʁɑka/, [mɑ̈ˈʁ̞ɑ̈kʰæ]

maraca c (singular definite maracaen, plural indefinite maracaer)

1. (music) maraca

• “maraca” in Den Danske Ordbog

Borrowed from Spanish maraca, derived from Paraguayan Guarani mbaraká (“rattle”).

• IPA^(key): /maˈra.ka/
• Rhymes: -aka
• Hyphenation: ma‧rà‧ca

maraca f (plural maracas or maraca)

1. (music) maraca

• maracá m

Borrowed from Old Tupi maraká or Paraguayan Guarani mbaraká (“rattle”).

• Audio (Brazil):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -akɐ
• Hyphenation: ma‧ra‧ca

maraca f (plural maracas)

1. (music) maraca

• “maraca”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “maraca”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Borrowed from Paraguayan Guarani mbaraká (“rattle”).

• IPA^(key): /maˈɾaka/ [maˈɾa.ka]
• Rhymes: -aka
• Syllabification: ma‧ra‧ca

maraca f (plural maracas)

1. (music) a maraca
2. (Chile, Argentina, derogatory) a whore
3. (Chile, Argentina, derogatory) a gay man

• “maraca”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

• cámara