Meaning

noun a republic in central Africa; achieved independence from Belgium in 1960

noun a major African river (one of the world's longest); flows through Congo into the South Atlantic

noun a republic in west-central Africa; achieved independence from France in 1960

originAfter Kongo, from Kongo nkongo (“hunter”). Compare Kongo dikongo (“spear”), Zulu umkhonto, Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀kóndó.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0