mzungu

/ əmˈzʊŋɡuː /

noun

1. a White person

Word History and Origins

Origin of mzungu¹

C20: from Swahili

Example Sentences

COVID-19 is widely seen here as a mzungu — or white person — disease, and conspiracy theories about it are rife.

From Los Angeles Times

And even when we would go to Uganda, they would call me and my brother “mzungu,” which can mean either English or white man.

From New York Times

The boy was white — “a mzungu child,” Scolastica said, using Kiswahili slang.

From Seattle Times

Early on, during a stay at a village in Kenya, Gabriel hears some children referring to him as mzungu, which means white man.

From New York Times

Through Cristina’s admiration and exasperation, played with heartfelt intensity by Abras, we grasp Gabriel’s complications: to be seen as a “Mzungu” — or rich white tourist — is anathema to him, and yet it’s also who he is.

From Los Angeles Times