corroboree

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   an Aboriginal Australian ceremonial gathering that may include dance, song, music, storytelling, or ritual, with its precise form varying among communities

   Community elders explained that the corroboree joined song, dance, and inherited ceremony.

2. 2
   noun

   dated, chiefly Australian: a noisy or lively gathering

   The newspapers described the late-night political meeting as a corroboree.

Borrowed into colonial English from Dharug garabara, the name of a particular gathering or dance. Settlers generalized it to diverse Aboriginal ceremonies and later to noisy gatherings, so careful modern use should respect the specific community and ceremony involved.

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