English

Noun

guiro ‎(plural guiros)

1. Synonym of sekere
2. (music) A musical instrument, a shaker, made of a hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side, and played by rubbing a stick or scraper ("pua") along the notches to produce a ratchet-like sound.
   • 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, p. 721:

     The house band consisted of gigantic guitars, fiddles, trumpets, and accordion, with rhythms provided by a batería including timbales, guiros, and congas.

3. (music) A genre of traditional Cuban music, used in Santeria rituals.

Synonyms

Synonyms for the shaker

• ralabazo, guayo, güiro, ralladera, rascador, rayo, güira: (Cuba)
• guayo, güiro, candungo, carracho, guicharo: (Puerto Rico)
• guira: (Dominican Republic)
• guacharacha: (Colombia)
• reco-reco: (Brazil)

References

• "Güiro" in Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Pg. 373.
• "Güiros" in Music in Latin America and the Caribbean. Pg. 71.