Hutu

noun

Hu·​tu ˈhü-(ˌ)tü How to pronounce Hutu (audio)
plural Hutu or Hutus
: a member of a Bantu-speaking people of Rwanda and Burundi

Examples of Hutu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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In 1994, as many as one million people – overwhelmingly Tutsi, but also Hutu and others who opposed the genocide – were systematically killed in 100 days of the atrocities, and thousands more were injured. Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025 The genocide started April 7, 1994, a day after the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi died in a missile attack on their aircraft, when moderate Hutu prime minister of Rwanda, Agathe Uwilingiyimana, and her husband were killed by Rwandan soldiers. John Annese, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2025 The group is mostly made up of ethnic Tutsi who claim to be fighting for their minority group’s rights in the majority-ethnic Hutu country. Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 2 Feb. 2025 Speaking in French, Swahili and Kinyarwanda — the language of Rwanda and of many Congolese Hutu and Tutsi — the leaders vowed to march on Kinshasa. Emmet Livingstone, The Dial, 20 Mar. 2025 Rwanda has accused Congo of enlisting ethnic Hutu fighters responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda of minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Janvier Barhahiga and Monika Pronczuk The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 28 Feb. 2025 Thirty years ago, about 800,000 civilians, mostly Tutsis, were slaughtered in Rwanda by members of the Hutu majority. Ruth MacLean, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025 The Hutu–Tutsi divide was thrown into stark relief. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 29 July 2024 Between 500,000 to 800,000 people belonging to the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa were killed by armed Hutu militias over the course of 100 days between April 7 and July 15, 1994. Zac Ntim, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Kinyarwanda & Kirundi (Bantu languages of East Africa)

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Hutu was in 1952

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Cite this Entry

“Hutu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hutu. Accessed 7 May. 2025.

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