ukulele

uku·le·le

noun \ˌyü-kə-ˈlā-lē, ˌü-\

Definition of UKULELE

: a small guitar of Portuguese origin popularized in Hawaii in the 1880s and strung typically with four strings

Variants of UKULELE

uku·le·le also uke·le·le \ˌyü-kə-ˈlā-lē, ˌü-\

Illustration of UKULELE

Origin of UKULELE

Hawaiian ʽukulele, from ʽuku flea + lele jumping

First Known Use: 1896

Rhymes with UKULELE

motte and bailey, triticale

ukulele

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Small Hawaiian four-stringed guitar. It developed out of a similar Portuguese instrument introduced to Hawaii by sailors in the 1870s. It became highly popular in the U.S. after World War I, when it was used in jazz and bluegrass ensembles and more widely as an amateur solo instrument.