uke

Variant of ukulele

ukulele definition

☆ uku·lele (yo̵̅o̅′kə lā′lē)

noun

a small, four-stringed, guitarlike musical instrument introduced from Portugal into the Hawaiian Islands about 1879
colloquially shortened to uke (yo̵̅o̅k)

Etymology: Haw, lit., leaping flea < uku, flea (< Proto-Polynesian *kutu > cootie) + lele, to jump: orig. a nickname of Edward Purvis, nimble player who popularized the instrument there

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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