Meaning & use
mariachi
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Meanings
noununcountablemusic
A style of Mexican folk music played by a small group with guitars, violins and trumpets and typically performed at celebrations.
Grammar: Uncountable when naming the style: we love mariachi.
Patterns
- play mariachi
- a mariachi song
Mariachi filled the plaza on the night of the festival.
She grew up listening to mariachi on her father's old radio.
The restaurant plays live mariachi every Friday.
nouncountablemusic
A band or one member of a band that plays this music, often wearing embroidered short jackets and wide hats.
Grammar: Countable: a mariachi, several mariachis, or a mariachi band.
Patterns
- hire a mariachi
- a mariachi band
We hired a mariachi to play at the wedding.
A mariachi strolled between the tables serenading the guests.
The mariachis tuned their guitars before the song began.
Word forms
| plural | mariachis |
|---|
Common combinations
- mariachi band
- A mariachi band greeted the bride and groom.
- mariachi music
- Mariachi music drifted through the open windows.
- hire a mariachi
- They hired a mariachi for her birthday dinner.
- mariachi festival
- The city hosts a mariachi festival each summer.
- mariachi trumpet
- The mariachi trumpet rang above the crowd.
Synonyms and how they differ
- folk band
- Folk band is a general term, while mariachi points to a specific Mexican ensemble style.
- serenaders
- Serenaders describes what the musicians are doing at that moment, not the tradition itself.
- ensemble
- Ensemble is a neutral word for any group of performers, with no cultural link.
Word family
- mariachis noun
- plural, more than one player or band
- serenade noun
- a song performed to honor someone, a common mariachi role
- guitarrón noun
- the large bass guitar used in mariachi bands
Commonly confused: mariachi or marimba?
mariachi vs marimba
A marimba is a wooden percussion instrument like a xylophone, and it is not the same as a mariachi band.
Practice
Which is most likely to be heard from a mariachi?
Choose one answer.
Mariachi groups play Mexican folk music on guitars, violins and trumpets. A marching drum corps is a tempting festive image but does not match.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mariachi”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.