Molina zorrumba

zorrumba / zurrumbera

Source term: zorrumba

zorrumba: imitative of the toy's buzz; Marco Yagüe links it to cerrumbiar, 'to whistle, to buzz', and gives zurrumbera and bramadera (from bramar, to bellow) as equivalents.

On the high plateau of the Señorío de Molina, where the word zurco named the flock that stayed at home while the rest walked south to the winter pastures, children had a toy that was named for its noise. The zorrumba was a piece of wood on a cord, spun so fast that the cord seemed to hum — a ruido zumbante, a buzzing noise. The local speech keeps its relatives: cerrumbiar, to whistle or buzz; zurrumbera; bramadera, the bellower.

Particulars

Object

A piece of wood tied to a cord and spun fast.