kumbaya

English

Alternative forms

• kum ba yah, kumbayah, Kumbaya

Etymology

From Gullah. Apparently a corruption of the English phrase “come by here” in a spiritual song.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌkum.baɪˈjɑ/, /ˌkum.bɑˈjɑ/, /ˈkʌm.baː.jə/

Noun

kumbaya

1. The title of the etymological folk song, used with varying degrees of sincerity or sarcasm to refer to the song's evocations of spiritual unity and interpersonal harmony.

Derived terms

• sing Kumbaya

Further reading

• kumbaya on Wikipedia.Wikipedia