Ukulele
/ˌjuː.kəˈleɪ.li/noun
A small four-stringed Hawaiian instrument descended from Portuguese guitar-like instruments.
Did you know?The Hawaiian name ʻukulele is traditionally explained as “jumping flea,” possibly describing a player’s rapidly moving fingers, but Hawaiian-language scholars dispute this popular interpretation.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
Portuguese
braguinha
“A small four-stringed guitar from Madeira, brought to Hawaiʻi by Portuguese immigrants”
1879
Hawaiian
ʻukulele
“The Hawaiian name applied to the newly popularized instrument; its internal meaning is disputed”
Late 19th Century
Hawaiian
ʻuku lele
“Commonly interpreted as “jumping flea,” from ʻuku (“flea”) and lele (“to jump” or “fly”), though this may be a later folk explanation”
1890s
English
ukulele
“An English borrowing for the Hawaiian four-stringed instrument”
Modern English
English
ukulele
“A small, typically four-stringed instrument associated worldwide with Hawaiian music”