Kikuyu

[ ki-koo-yoo ]

/ kɪˈku yu /

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noun, plural Ki·ku·yus, (especially collectively) Ki·ku·yu.

a member of an Indigenous people of Kenya having an agricultural economy and notable as being the originators of the Mau Mau.

the language of the Kikuyu, a Bantu language.

(usually lowercase)Also called kikuyu grass . a grass, Pennisetum clandestinum, native to southern Africa, sometimes used in warm climates for lawns or as pasturage.

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showing self-respect

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Words nearby Kikuyu

kike, Kikládhes, kikoi, Kikongo, kikumon, Kikuyu, Kikwit, kil., Kilauea, Kildare, kilderkin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Kikuyu in a sentence

Many residents of the area are Kikuyu farmers as well as Somali pastoralists.
Militants ‘Executed Non-Muslims’ at Kenyan World Cup Watch Party|Margot Kiser|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Epic saga of Kikuyu life, starting in the 19th century before the arrival of the British.
Richard Dawkins: How I Write|Noah Charney|November 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Even her descriptive imagery, when describing landscapes, is Kikuyu.
Richard Dawkins: How I Write|Noah Charney|November 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Bakari returned with a dozen Kikuyu hunters, who readily agreed to lead the party to elephants.
The Rogue Elephant|Elliott Whitney

Jack learned how the thorn zareba was built, and Charlie visited the Kikuyu village with his camera.
The Rogue Elephant|Elliott Whitney
So far they had not struck the mountain slopes, and the Kikuyu led them deeper into the great African forest.
The Rogue Elephant|Elliott Whitney
But, strange as it may seem, the hyaena is worshipped by one very large tribe in East Africa, the Kikuyu.
Sketches of the East Africa Campaign|Robert Valentine Dolbey
It is hardly to be wondered at that the hyaenas in the "Kikuyu" country are far bolder than in other parts.
Sketches of the East Africa Campaign|Robert Valentine Dolbey

British Dictionary definitions for Kikuyu

Kikuyu

/ (kɪˈkuːjuː) /

noun

plural -yus or -yu a member of a Negroid people of E Africa, living chiefly in Kenya on the high foothills around Mount Kenya

the language of this people, belonging to the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo family

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012