The term is a loanword from the English term _human beatbox_ or _beat box_ : a person that makes musical sounds using the human vocal organs. The abbreviated term is _beatbox_ or _beat box_. The performer is also called a human beatboxer or simply a beat boxer. The word _human_ was retained in the term to enable understanding of its usage within specialized communities and to differentiate its use from the sounds made by machines.
From Wikipedia:
> The term "beatboxing" is derived from the mimicry of early drum machines, then known as beatboxes, particularly the Roland TR-808. The term "beatbox" was used to refer to earlier Roland drum machines such as the TR-55 and CR-78 in the 1970s. They were followed by the TR-808, released in 1980, which became central to hip hop music and electronic dance music. It is the TR-808 that human beatboxing is largely modeled after.