Original: Some etymologists believe it comes from a dialectal pronunciation of the Portuguese '' bandore '' or from an early anglicisation of the Spanish word '' bandurria '' , though other research suggests that it may come from a Senegambian term for a bamboo stick formerly used for the instrument 's neck .
Simplified: The name banjo may have come from a Kimbundu word : mbanza , but it could have also come from a Senegambian word for the bamboo stick used for the banjos neck .