bando
|ban-do|
🇺🇸
/ˈbændoʊ/
🇬🇧
/ˈbændəʊ/
abandoned building used for illicit activity
Etymology
'bando' originates from English slang, specifically clipped from the phrase 'abandoned (house)', where 'abandoned' meant 'left behind' or 'forsaken'.
'bando' developed as an informal clipping of 'abandoned (house)' in African American Vernacular English and gained wider exposure through Southern U.S. hip-hop and trap music in the 2000s–2010s, becoming common slang for derelict houses used for illegal activity.
Initially it referred simply to an 'abandoned building', but over time it shifted to specifically denote an abandoned building used for drug dealing, manufacturing, or illicit gatherings; this usage is now the dominant sense in contemporary U.S. slang.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
(US slang) An abandoned building, especially one used for illegal activity such as selling or using drugs, or for unsanctioned parties (often used in hip-hop/trap contexts).
They turned an old, empty house into a bando to run their operation.
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Noun 2
(loanword usage from Italian/Spanish in English contexts) A public notice, proclamation, decree, or official edict (used chiefly in reference to the Italian/Spanish term in translated/legal contexts).
The municipality published a bando outlining new restrictions on fireworks.
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Last updated: 2026/01/10 16:18