mzungu en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /(ə)mˈzʊnɡuː/ (UK)
Etymology
Etymology tree Common Bantu *mʊ̀díʊ́ngʊ̀der. Swahili mzungubor. English mzungu Borrowed from Swahili mzungu, from Common Bantu *mʊ̀díʊ́ngʊ̀.
Meanings
-
(Africa, East) A white person.
I have given my daughter to an mzungu, and he says he will make her like the wives of the white men.
1888, Joseph Thomson, E. Harris-Smith, Ulu: an African romance: Volume 1:suspicion about an mzungu wanting a copy of the country's constitution
2004, Dan McNickle, Teaching and Hunting in East Africa:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| wazungu | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| mzungus | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| muzungu | alternative | lexicographic | |
| umuzungu | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Synonyms
white · oyinbo · hoojah · cumskin · Caucasian · ivory · snow bunny · snow roach · paddy · ang moh · white bread · balanda · ice monkey · toubab · Pakeha · umlungu · cracker · vazaha · migaloo · abelungu · cornstarch crusader · wonderbread · laowai · Whitoid · leucoderm · gringo · Eurangutan · mzungu · Yankee · firangi · pinky · Angrez · hoogie · paleface · mayonnaise face · roundeye · joganosh · mayo monkey · whiteface · whiteboy · Yakubian · farang · honky · bule · kabloona · white devil · vanilla · gussuk · gweilo · saltine · mayo · ofay · European · cac · béké · umlungu · mlungu · wigger · haole · wadjela · melanin-challenged · gora · pigskin · white man · whitey
Translations (9)
zu umlungu (mzungu) · am ፈረንጅ (mzungu) · yue 鬼佬 (mzungu) · dwu balanda (mzungu) · ny mzungu (mzungu) · fr mzoungou (mzungu) · aig bakra (mzungu) · wmw nzungu (mzungu) · sw mzungu (mzungu)