Etymology

vuvuzela

V4U1V4U1Z10E1L1A1

Today it means: A trumpet-shaped horn, now usually plastic, that produces a loud buzzing sound. Full definition →

Zulu vuvuzela
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The story

  1. Zulu · borrowed fromvuvuzela“to make a vu vu noise”
  2. English todayvuvuzela

Borrowed from Zulu vuvuzela (“to make a vu vu noise”), from the /vuː/ sound the horns make.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.