ukulele

or u·ke·le·le

[ yoo-kuh-ley-lee; Hawaiian oo-koo-ley-ley ]

noun
  1. a small, guitarlike musical instrument associated chiefly with Hawaiian music.

Origin of ukulele

1
1895–1900, Americanism;<Hawaiian ʿukulele leaping flea (ʿuku flea + lele to jump, leap), a nickname given to British army officer Edward Purvis (who popularized the instrument at the court of King Kalakaua), in reference to his lively playing style

Words Nearby ukulele

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How to use ukulele in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ukulele

ukulele

ukelele

/ (ˌjuːkəˈleɪlɪ) /


noun
  1. a small four-stringed guitar, esp of Hawaii

Origin of ukulele

1
C19: from Hawaiian, literally: jumping flea, from `uku flea + lele jumping

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

Cultural definitions for ukulele

ukulele

[ (yooh-kuh-lay-lee) ]


A small guitar, developed in Hawaii, with four strings.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.