sudo

S1U1D2O1
/ˈsuː.duː//ˈsuː.doʊ//ˈsuː.dəʊ/

noun

A Unix command that allows a user to run a program with the security privileges of another user.

OriginJapanese 須藤 →
Less commonScrabble 5
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Meanings

sudo1

nounsudo (uncountable)
  1. uncountablecomputingA Unix command that allows a user to run a program with the security privileges of another user.
verbsudo (third-person singular simple present sudos, present participle sudoing, simple past and past participle sudoed)

present singular third person sudos · participle present sudoing · participle past sudoed · past sudoed

  1. computingTo invoke such a command.

Sudo2

proper nounSudo (plural Sudos)

plural Sudos · alternative Sudoh · alternative Sudou · alternative Sudyo · alternative Suto · alternative Sutoh · alternative Sutou · alternative Sutyo

  1. A surname from Japanese.

Origin

sudo · noun, verb

Originally understood as a blend of superuser + do, now has evolved to be an abbreviation of substitute user, do.

Full word history & related roots →

Sudo · proper noun

  1. Japanese須藤
  2. EnglishSudo

From Japanese 須藤 (Sudō).

More words from Japanese

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Japanese 須藤
  • 須藤 (Sudō)Translations
Cite this entry
APA

sudo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sudo

MLA

“sudo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sudo. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sudo,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sudo.

Source: sudo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.