uke
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of uke
By shortening
Explanation
Uke is a common nickname for the ukulele, the stringed instrument that looks like a cheerful little guitar. The great thing about playing the uke is that you can bring it with you almost anywhere you go. The uke comes in four sizes and tones, ranging from soprano to baritone. The bigger the uke, the deeper and richer its sound. It's fairly easy to learn how to play a uke, so you might want to start a uke band with your friends or serenade your cat with Beatles tunes. To be an expert uke player, however, requires your fingers to move incredibly fast — which explains the name ukulele, "leaping flea" in Hawaiian.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dr Laura Sommerfeld, Postdoctoral Researcher at the UKE Hamburg, who completed her PhD at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Birmingham focusing on this work is lead author of the study.
From Science Daily • Feb. 13, 2024
Hamburg health department spokesman Roland Ahrendt said the man would be treated in the city’s UKE hospital at the U.N. agency’s request.
From Washington Times • Aug. 27, 2014
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
