Download the app
educalingo
Search

Meaning of "mzungu" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD MZUNGU

From Swahili.
info
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsapp
section

PRONUNCIATION OF MZUNGU

mzungu  [əmˈzʊŋɡuː] play
facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsapp

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF MZUNGU

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Mzungu is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES MZUNGU MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Mzungu

Mzungu is a Bantu language term used in the African Great Lakes region to refer to people of European descent. It is a commonly used expression among Bantu peoples in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia. The word "wachizungu" has a particular historical development in this region, dating back to the 18th century. "Wachizungu" used to mean "things of the aimless wanderers." Literally translated it meant "someone who roams around aimlessly" or "aimless wanderer." The term was first used in the African Great Lakes region to describe European explorers in the 18th century, apparently as a result of their propensity to get lost in their wanderings in Africa. The word Muzungu comes from Kiswahili, where ‘zungu’ is the word for spinning around on the same spot. That dizzy lost look was perfected by the first white people arriving in the African Great Lakes. Muzunguzungu is Kiswahili for a dizzy person. The term is now used to refer to "someone with white skin" or "white skin". In the Bantu Swahili language, the plural form of mzungu is wazungu. The possessive kizungu translates as "behaving rich".

Definition of mzungu in the English dictionary

The definition of mzungu in the dictionary is a White person.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH MZUNGU


burgoo
ˈbɜːɡuː
congou
ˈkɒŋɡuː
Enugu
ɛˈnuːɡuː
fugu
ˈfuːɡuː
goo
ɡuː
kagu
ˈkɑːɡuː
kekerengu
kɛkɛˈrɛnəŋɡuː
Ouagadougou
ˌwɑːɡəˈduːɡuː
Pegu
pɛˈɡuː
ragout
ræˈɡuː
Taegu
tɛˈɡuː
Telegu
ˈtɛləˌɡuː
Telugu
ˈtɛləˌɡuː
Zipangu
zɪˈpæŋɡuː

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE MZUNGU

myxedemic
myxo
myxocyte
myxoedema
myxoedematous
myxoedemic
myxoid
myxoma
myxomata
myxomatoses
myxomatosis
myxomatous
myxomycete
myxomycetous
myxoviral
myxovirus
mz
Mzansi
mzee

WORDS THAT END LIKE MZUNGU

gu
Montagu
tegu
umlungu

Synonyms and antonyms of mzungu in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «mzungu» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF MZUNGU

Find out the translation of mzungu to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of mzungu from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «mzungu» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

mzungu
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

mzungu
570 millions of speakers

English

mzungu
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

mzungu
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

mzungu
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

Mzungu
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

mzungu
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

mzungu
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

mzungu
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Mzungu
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

mzungu
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

mzungu
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

mzungu
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Mzungu
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

mzungu
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

mzungu
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

Mzungu
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

mzungu
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

mzungu
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

Mzungu
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

Mzungu
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

mzungu
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

mzungu
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

mzungu
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

mzungu
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

mzungu
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of mzungu

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «MZUNGU»

The term «mzungu» is quite widely used and occupies the 49.990 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
77
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «mzungu» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of mzungu
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «mzungu».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «MZUNGU» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «mzungu» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «mzungu» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about mzungu

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «MZUNGU»

Discover the use of mzungu in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to mzungu and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Mzungu Boy
A twelve-year-old Kenyan boy is befriended by the white landowner's son, and they are both caught up in powerful forces as a rebellion arises in the area.
Meja Mwangi, 2005
2
Mzungu
In this story the arrival of a white woman in the village surprises two small children, who forget about the cows they are watching.
‎1994
3
Mzungu: A Notre Dame Student in Uganda
In this book, Michael describes the transition from being a student at Notre Dame to teaching a class of second grade students at St. Benedict's School in Uganda.
Michael Sweikar, 2007
4
Just Another Mzungu Passing Through
Set in Kenya during 1996, this engaging novel tells the story of Griff, who takes a job teaching at a small, struggling school in Nairobi.
Jim Bowen, 2008
5
Mzungu mjinga: a memoir of a hunter's first safari to ...
An autobiographical look at the myth of the Great White Hunter, this tale provides an insightful look into the meeting of two cultures that has become big business—the safari as a subculture within Africa's vast expanse of uninhabited ...
Rick Boyer, 2004
6
Bye, Mzungu!
But this is not the Uganda Lever experiences. Her well-written, interesting, and informative book tells of another Uganda--one made up of individual Ugandans of her personal experience; of surprise and humanity, intelligence and grit.
Janice Ellen Lever, 2012
7
Glimmers of Hope : Memoir of a Volunteer in Zambia
INTERLUDE : HOW TO CUT MZUNGU HAIR – A BARBERS GUIDE Welcome pink mzungu into your shop and make a fuss about where he sits. Bark at other bewildered customers to make an entire bench free for your honoured guest .
Mark Burke, 2010
8
Re-ethnicizing the Minds?: Cultural Revival in Contemporary ...
lacustrine states in Africa including many other parts of the continent, the word for a "European" or white person is mzungu. It has variations in other Bantu languages, for example, Umlungu in Zulu. This term refers to both a female and male ...
Thorsten Botz-Bornstein, Jürgen Hengelbrock, 2006
9
The Paternalism of Partnership: A Postcolonial Reading of ...
They emphasized that the images of the mzungu and the expectations attached to expatriate white development workers differ from partner to partner. On the one hand is the image of the mzungu as a superior problem solver. One programme ...
Maria Eriksson Baaz, 2005
10
The Language of the Land: Living Among a Stone-Age People in ...
I thought, Why does he want to kill a leopard if he does not want to eat it? "I showed him where the leopard lived and the mzungu shot it in the stomach. The leopard disappeared into the bush. It is not good to shoot a leopard in the stomach.
James Stephenson, 2001

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «MZUNGU»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term mzungu is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Good prognosis for Docker Ballantyne
Clancee Pearce, Tendai Mzungu, Paul Duffield and potential debutants Ed Langdon, Lachie Weller and Connor Blakely are all in contention. «The West Australian, Jul 15»
2
Crozier will cash in
Paul Duffield, Clancee Pearce, Tendai Mzungu, Zac Clarke and Zac Dawson all played in the WAFL last week. First-round draft pick Lachie ... «The West Australian, Jul 15»
3
Mzungu pushing for spot
Fremantle senior coach Ross Lyon says Tendai Mzungu has found himself in and out of the AFL side due to bad luck and performance. «Fremantle Dockers, Jul 15»
4
Once bitten: Freo wary of fast-starting Tigers
Clancee Pearce dominated in the WAFL last week with 40 touches, but Tendai Mzungu and Paul Duffield would likely need a spot in defence to ... «AFL.com.au, Jul 15»
5
Kenya: Dennis Itumbi Accuses Coast Hotel of Racism
But as we sit at the counter immediately after the statement a Mzungu comes and orders for red bull. Right before our eyes Red Bull is found. «AllAfrica.com, Jul 15»
6
AFL 2015: Which AFL club has the greatest depth in the run to the …
Clancee Pearce, Zac Dawson, Paul Duffield and Tendai Mzungu are currently out of the side along with talls Zac Clarke and Jack Hannath. «Herald Sun, Jul 15»
7
Uganda's pullout is no guarantee to Al-Shabaab's terror end
I once asked a mzungu friend of mine who happens to live in Uganda for now a year, how much Luganda he now knew. He said not much but ... «New Vision, Jul 15»
8
In the mix: round 17
Lachie Weller was held over as the emergency last week and is still in the mix while veterans Tendai Mzungu and Paul Duffield remain in ... «AFL.com.au, Jul 15»
9
Adam Simpson has abundance of defensive alternatives; Lyon …
... Dockers forward goal-mouth by Hayden Crozier with tough nut all-rounders Clancee Pearce and Tendai Mzungu contenders for recalls after ... «Herald Sun, Jul 15»
10
Travis Cloke, Hayden Ballantyne injured, Bradley Hill, Joel Selwood …
Tendai Mzungu (17 disposals), Paul Duffield (23 disposals) and Zac Clarke (18 hitouts, 17 disposals and two goals) put in strong performances ... «Herald Sun, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Mzungu [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/mzungu>. Apr 2024 ».
Download the educalingo app
en
English dictionary
Discover all that is hidden in the words on
index
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z