Tutsi

1 of 2

noun (1)

Tut·​si ˈtü-sē  ˈtüt- 

plural Tutsi or Tutsis

: a member of a people of Rwanda and Burundi probably of Nilotic origin

Tusi

2 of 2

noun (2)

Tu·​si

variants or less commonly Tussi

ˈtüsē, 

-si

or Tutsi

ˈtüts- 

plural Tusi or Tusis also Tussi or Tussis or Tutsi or Tutsis

: the ruling and cattle-owning class of the Rundi in Urundi in East Africa who presumably are cognate with the Hima people northward and whose extreme average height suggests an affinity with the Nilotes

called also Watusi

Examples of Tutsi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The film, which is the first Rwandan film to screen at the festival, explores the complexities of justice and reconciliation in Rwanda close to 20 years after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, through the experiences of a survivor. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 23 May 2026

Félicien Kabuga, 91, was accused of encouraging and bankrolling the mass killing of Rwanda’s Tutsi minority. — Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2026

One study by sociologists examined what motivated members of the majority Hutu population to risk their own lives to help members of the Tutsi population during the 1984 genocide in Rwanda. — Catherine A. Sanderson, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2026

Some, like the powerful Congo River Alliance (AFC), which includes the prominent March 23 Movement rebel group (M23), are connected to the Tutsi ethnic group whose members were massacred during the genocide and which now rules Rwanda. — Théodore De Kerros, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Dec. 2025

That year, the manager of Hotel Rwanda, married to a Tutsi woman, tried to save thousands of Tutsis, a story that inspired a Hollywood movie starring Don Cheadle in 2004. — Brad Schmitt, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Oct. 2025

Naturally, this lends considerable sympathy to modern Rwanda, especially as the country is led by Paul Kagame, the man who led the Tutsi militia that put a stop to the genocide in a lightning offensive. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 18 Oct. 2025

Pre-existing Congolese Tutsi populations came to be associated with the new Rwandan arrivals. — Emmet Livingstone, The Dial, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1950, in the meaning defined above