balboas
|bal-boa-s|
🇺🇸
/bælˈboʊ.əz/
🇬🇧
/bælˈbəʊ.əz/
(balboa)
proper name (person/place) used for currency and culture
Etymology
'balboa' originates from Spanish, specifically the surname 'Balboa' (notably borne by the explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa), which was later applied to the Panamanian currency.
'balboa' was adopted as the name of Panama's currency after independence in the early 20th century (officially 1904); the term itself derives from the Spanish surname 'Balboa', originally a place-name/surname in the Iberian Peninsula and then used in honor of the explorer.
Initially a family/place name (the surname 'Balboa'), the term later became used as a national currency name and also as the name of a dance style, broadening from a proper name to common nouns.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'balboa': the monetary unit of Panama (used for coins/notes and as a unit equal to the U.S. dollar in Panama).
I exchanged my dollars for balboas before traveling to Panama.
Noun 2
plural of the surname 'Balboa': referring to more than one person or members of a family named Balboa.
The balboas were invited to the ceremony.
Noun 3
plural of 'balboa' (the dance): instances or performances of the swing dance called balboa.
They danced several balboas at the swing festival.
Last updated: 2026/01/04 12:50