Zulu

American  

[zoo-loo] / ˈzu lu /

noun

plural

Zulus,

plural

Zulu

1. a member of a Nguni people living mainly in Natal, Republic of South Africa.

2. the Bantu language of the Zulu.

3. a word used in communications to represent the letter Z.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Zulus or their language.

Zulu British  

/ -luː, ˈzuːlʊ /

noun

1. a member of a tall Negroid people of SE Africa, living chiefly in South Africa, who became dominant during the 19th century due to a warrior-clan system organized by the powerful leader, Shaka

2. the language of this people, belonging to the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo family, closely related to Swazi and Xhosa

3. communications a code word for the letter z

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Etymology

Origin of Zulu

from Zulu amaZulu people of the sky

Example Sentences

Afrika Bambaataa, the influential rapper and DJ who helped shape the culture of hip-hop via his legendary Zulu Nation block parties in the South Bronx, has died.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

In 1973, he co-founded the Universal Zulu Nation, an international hip‑hop awareness group.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Zulu Nation distanced itself from its founder as the allegations went public but has since remained committed to its mission of hip-hop unity.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

I speak a little bit of Zulu, so I directly translated the words, and I even spoke to some of my South African friends, and most of them don’t even know what it means.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

The resulting Zulu state was thereby enabled to conquer a fraction of a continent for nearly a century.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond