The name of a country on the west coast of Africa, south of the Equator, whence many negro slaves have been carried to America. Hence, the name has been given in N. America to negroes from Congo, and to things belonging to or used by them; also (apparently), to various animals of black color: cf. negro.
1. A negro from Congo. Congo dance: a kind of African dance practised by negroes. Congo pea: a variety of CAJAN, eaten by negroes in Jamaica.
1866. Treas. Bot., 189/2. The Congo pea is harder and coarser, and is only used by negroes.
1877. F. A. March, Anglo-Sax. Gram. (1883), 36. There may be as many genders as there are sets of terminations … the Congoes and Caffirs have many.
1886. G. W. Cable, in Century Mag., XXXI. 522/2. They from whom the dance and the place are named, the most numerous sort of negro in the colonies, the Congoes and Franc-Congoes. Ibid., 527/2. There were other dances … the Voudou, and the Congo … The latter, called Congo also in Cayenne, Chica in San Domingo.
2. Congo monkey, a black South American monkey, a species of the Howler, Mycetes palliatus; Congo snake, a name given to one or two blue-black amphibians, species of Amphiuma, found in the southern parts of the United States.
1865. S. Tenney, Zool., 315. The Congo Snake, Amphiuma means, L., of the Southern States, is about twenty-eight inches long, bluish black.
1874. T. Belt, Nat. in Nicaragua, 35. High up in one tree … were seated some of the black Congo monkeys (Mycetes palliatus).
