Meanings
tutu1
tutu2
plural tutus
- New ZealandAny of certain members of genus Coriaria of shrubs and trees found in New Zealand, including Coriaria arborea and Coriaria pottsiana, used by the Maori to make a sweetener, but toxic when not properly prepared.
Synonyms: toot plant, tupakihi
tutu3
present singular third person tutus · participle present tutuing · participle past tutued · past tutued
- New Zealandchildishto fiddle or mess around with something.
"There were seven dudes here for a week just showing me how to use it and I just wanted them to leave so I could start tutuing with it."
2016 July 14, “New Plymouth sign maker invests in enormous flatbed printer”, in Stuff
Tutu4
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny of certain members of genus Coriaria of shrubs and trees found in New Zealand, including Coriaria arborea and Coriaria pottsiana, used by the Maori to make a sweetener, but toxic when not properly prepared.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
tutu · noun
- Frenchtutu
- Englishtutu
Borrowed from French tutu, from cucu (“bum, bottom”), playful reduplication of cul (“arse”).
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →tutu · noun
- Māoritutu
- Māoritutu
- Englishtutu
Borrowed from Māori tutu.
More words from Māori
Full word history & related roots →tutu · verb
- Māoritutū“mischievous, disobedient”
- Englishtutu
From Māori tutū (“mischievous, disobedient”).
More words from Māori
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans tutu
- tutuballet skirt
Catalan tutú
- tutúballet skirt
Chinese Mandarin 芭蕾舞裙
- 芭蕾舞裙 (bālěiwǔqún)ballet skirt
Danish strutteskørt
- strutteskørtballet skirt
Dutch tutu
- tutuballet skirt
Finnish tutu
- tutuballet skirt
French tutu
- tutuballet skirt
German Tutu
- Tutuballet skirt
Hungarian tütü
- tütüballet skirt
Irish tútú
- tútúballet skirt
Italian tutù
- tutùballet skirt
Japanese チュチュ
- チュチュ (chuchu)ballet skirt
Korean 튀튀
- 튀튀 (twitwi)ballet skirt
Norwegian Bokmål strutteskjørt
- strutteskjørtballet skirt
Portuguese tutu
- tutuballet skirt
Russian па́чка
- па́чка (páčka)ballet skirt
Spanish tutú
- tutúballet skirt
Swedish tutu
- tutuballet skirt
Turkish tütü
- tütüballet skirt
Vietnamese váy xoè
- váy xoèballet skirt
Cite this entry
tutu. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tutu
“tutu.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tutu. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tutu,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tutu.
Source: tutu on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.