Word.ws English Dictionary

mariachi

/ˌmɑɹ.iˈɑ.t͡ʃi/

mariachi adjective: of or pertaining to a traditional form of Mexican music, either sung or purely instrumental.

mariachi: of or pertaining to a traditional form of Mexican music, either sung or purely instrumental
Image: Iván Lenovy, CC BY-SA 2.5 mx, via Wikimedia Commons

Adjective

mariachi (not comparable)

  1. Of or pertaining to a traditional form of Mexican music, either sung or purely instrumental.
  2. Of or pertaining to a band playing such music, or to the singers of such songs.

Noun

mariachi (plural mariachis)

  1. A traditional form of Mexican music, either sung or purely instrumental.
  2. A group that plays mariachi music.
    • At her first performance with an all-male mariachi, the oldest member said to the musical director,[…](No! I've never played with a woman; I'm not going to start now [my translation]).2002, Leonor Xóchitl Pérez, “8: Transgressing the Taboo: A Chicana's Voice in the Mariachi World”, in Norma Elia Cantú, Olga Nájera-Ramírez, editors, Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change, page...
    • Today Plaza Garibaldi near the center of Mexico City is considered the home of mariachis, where mariachi musicians congregate in the plaza, waiting for patrons and tourists to audition them and invite them to perform. […] Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán has been considered the premier Mexican...2004, "Mariachi," entry in Cordelia Candelaria, Peter J. García, Arturo J. Aldama (editors), Encyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture, Volume 2, page 520
  3. A member of such a group.
    • The mariachis would serenade / and they would not shut up till they were paid.1959, “In Old Mexico”, Tom Lehrer (music)

Forms of mariachi

pluralmariachis

Origin of mariachi

Borrowed from Mexican Spanish mariachi. The origin of the Spanish word is unclear. It has often been claimed to derive from French mariage (“marriage”), reputedly because the Europe-born Emperor Maximilian of Mexico (which France had invaded) encouraged the music to be played at weddings. However, new evidence shows the word to have been used prior to the French invasion. Most other theories suggest indigenous roots. See Wikipedia.

Questions about mariachi

What does mariachi mean?
Mariachi means of or pertaining to a traditional form of Mexican music, either sung or purely instrumental.
What part of speech is mariachi?
Mariachi can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce mariachi?
Mariachi is pronounced /ˌmɑɹ.iˈɑ.t͡ʃi/.

Words near mariachi in the dictionary

  1. Maria Clara gown
  2. Maria Clara gowns
  3. Maria Island
  4. mariachero
  5. mariacheros
  6. mariachi
  7. mariachis
  8. mariage
  9. mariages
  10. Mariah
  11. Mariahs

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: mariachi (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-mariachi.ogg.

Cite this entry: “mariachi.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/mariachi. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.