bamboula

party

noun bahm-BOO-lah Rare

Also means

lively celebration

Usage Note

Bamboula in its current common usage simply means a lively party or festive gathering — faire la bamboula means to party hard. However, the word has a complex history as a formerly offensive racial term; this derogatory meaning is now widely recognized, and some speakers avoid it even in the party sense.

Examples

"Ils ont fait la bamboula jusqu'à l'aube."

Natural Translation

They partied until dawn.

Literal Translation

They made the bamboula until the dawn

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