maraca

A maraca ( , , ), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. A maraca player in the Spanish language is called a .

== Etymology == The term maraca is believed to originate from the Guarani word . Other authors, for their part, believe that it is a corruption of the Arabic-origin word mitraqah, used in African countries with a dual meaning of bell and hammer. However, some authors have questioned the Arabic origin, since mitraqah apparently derives from the Spanish word matraca.