didgeridoo

American  

[dij-uh-ree-doo, dij-uh-ree-doo] / ˌdɪdʒ ə riˈdu, ˈdɪdʒ ə riˌdu /

Or didjeridoo

noun

didgeridoos plural

1. a Australian Aboriginal musical instrument made from a long wooden tube that is blown into to create a low drone.

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didgeridoo British  

/ ˌdɪdʒərɪˈduː /

noun

1. music a deep-toned native Australian wind instrument made from a long hollowed-out piece of wood

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• didgeridoos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of didgeridoo

First recorded in 1915–20; from an Aboriginal language of northern Australia

Explanation

A didgeridoo is an Australian Aborigine musical instrument that looks like a long, wooden pipe and makes a droning, hypnotic sound. The word didgeridoo is not Aboriginal, and etymologists think the word is probably an attempt to imitate the sounds made by the ancient wind instrument. Expert players can sustain a tone for almost an hour, using the technique of circular breathing (getting air through the nose while blowing out with the lips). Some Aboriginal Australians consider the instrument and its eerie, pulsing sound to be sacred, and consider non-ceremonial playing to be offensive.