mzungu

• muzungu
• umuzungu

Borrowed from Swahili mzungu.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /(ə)mˈzʊnɡuː/

mzungu (plural mzungus or wazungu)

1. (East Africa) A white person. [from 19th c.]
   • 1888, Joseph Thomson, E. Harris-Smith, Ulu: an African romance: Volume 1

     I have given my daughter to an mzungu, and he says he will make her like the wives of the white men.

   • 2004, Dan McNickle, Teaching and Hunting in East Africa

     suspicion about an mzungu wanting a copy of the country's constitution

• umlungu
• See Thesaurus:white person

An early borrowing from another African language, probably Swahili mzungu.

• IPA^(key): /mˈzu.ᵑɡu/

mzungu class 1 (plural azungu class 2)

1. white person

Proto-Bantu *jungu, *-dungu. Cognate with Bemba musungu, Kikuyu muthungu, Rwanda-Rundi umuzungu, Luganda Omuzungu, Shona murungu, Venda mulungu, Zulu lungu.

• IPA^(key): /mˈzu.ᵑɡu/

mzungu (m-wa class, plural wazungu)

1. European, white person

   Synonym: mweupe

2. (sometimes derogatory) rich person (who is not white)