bouzouki

American  

[boo-zoo-kee] / bʊˈzu ki /

Or bousouki,

noun

plural

bouzoukis, bouzoukia

1. a long-necked, fretted lute of modern Greece.

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bouzouki British  

/ buːˈzuːkɪ /

noun

1. a Greek long-necked stringed musical instrument related to the mandolin

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Etymology

Origin of bouzouki

1950–55; < Modern Greek mpouzoúki; Turkish bozuk (broken, ruined, depraved; cf. bashi-bazouk) or büzük (constricted, puckered) adduced as sources, but sense development is obscure

Explanation

A bouzouki is a stringed instrument that's similar to a lute or a mandolin. In Greece, the bouzouki has traditionally been used to play folk tunes at parties or gatherings. It is widely attested that the word comes from the Turkish bozuk, meaning "broken" or "modified." This refers to the way the instrument's Turkish predecessor was tuned, with "breaks" between adjacent strings, which were set at different pitches. The bouzouki has a pear-shaped wooden body and a long neck, and it sounds like a lower-pitched mandolin. Traditionally an instrument that accompanied folk dancing, the bouzouki is now played in all kinds of genres around the world. In Greece, it also remains a symbol of pride and modern identity.

Example Sentences

The Human Fear is filled with ideas fresh to the group, from orchestral flourishes on recent single Audacious to a bouzouki being used on Black Eyelashes and the Celtic style riff pulsing through Cats.

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2024

To admirers who flocked to readings where the white-maned poet also played a bouzouki, he was a bard of irresistible charisma.

From Washington Post • Nov. 23, 2021

Bly, a shambling white-haired guru who strummed a bouzouki and wore colorful vests, was easily mocked as Iron John himself, a hairy wild man who, in the German myth, helped aimless princes in their quests.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2021

The next thing I knew we were dancing full tilt to the bouzouki music, just the two of us, while the crowd made a ring around us, clapping in rhythm and egging us on.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 18, 2018

“Where did I put that bouzouki of mine, anyway?”

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides