*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Zulu

Etymology tree Zulu umu- Proto-Bantu *ʊ́- Zulu ú- Proto-Bantu *ìgʊ̀dʊ̀ Zulu ī́zulu Zulu úZulu Zulu uḿZuluder. English Zulu Derived from Zulu uḿZulu.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A member of an African ethnic group living mainly in the KwaZulu-Natal Province in eastern South Africa. · Any black person. · Time along the prime meridian; UTC; Zulu time.

name

The language of these people, a Bantu language; isiZulu.

adj

Pertaining to the Zulu people, culture, or language.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Zulu umu- Proto-Bantu *ʊ́- Zulu ú- Proto-Bantu *ìgʊ̀dʊ̀ Zulu ī́zulu Zulu úZulu Zulu uḿZuluder. English Zulu Derived from Zulu uḿZulu.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "zu:uḿZulu",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nZulu umu-\nProto-Bantu *ʊ́-\nZulu ú-\nProto-Bantu *ìgʊ̀dʊ̀\nZulu ī́zulu\nZulu úZulu\nZulu uḿZuluder.\nEnglish Zulu\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"class 1\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang_name\" : \"Zulu\", \"term\" : \"umu-\", \"lang\" : \"zu\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"class 1a\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Bantu\", \"term\" : \"*ʊ́-\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"bnt-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Zulu\", \"term\" : \"ú-\", \"lang\" : \"zu\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Bantu\", \"term\" : \"*ìgʊ̀dʊ̀\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"bnt-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Zulu\", \"term\" : \"ī́zulu\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"zu\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Zulu\", \"term\" : \"úZulu\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"zu\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Zulu\", \"term\" : \"uḿZulu\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"zu\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Zulu\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Zulu\">\nDerived from Zulu uḿZulu."
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "zu:uḿZulu",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nZulu umu-\nProto-Bantu *ʊ́-\nZulu ú-\nProto-Bantu *ìgʊ̀dʊ̀\nZulu ī́zulu\nZulu úZulu\nZulu uḿZuluder.\nEnglish Zulu\nDerived from Zulu uḿZulu."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "umu-",
      "umu-#Zulu:_class_1"
    ],
    [
      "*ʊ́-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Bantu/ʊ́-"
    ],
    [
      "ú-",
      "u-#Zulu:_class_1a"
    ],
    [
      "*ìgʊ̀dʊ̀",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Bantu/ìgʊ̀dʊ̀"
    ],
    [
      "ī́zulu",
      "izulu#Zulu"
    ],
    [
      "úZulu",
      "uZulu#Zulu"
    ],
    [
      "uḿZulu",
      "umZulu#Zulu"
    ],
    [
      "uḿZulu",
      "umZulu#Zulu"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A member of an African ethnic group living mainly in the KwaZulu-Natal Province in eastern South Africa.",
        "Any black person.",
        "Time along the prime meridian; UTC; Zulu time."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "UK",
        "dated",
        "ethnic",
        "slang",
        "slur"
      ],
      "recordId": "25d0dc79d42dee91c47cf6f40066d9fab0202060bf7d5aeb79befe91659a0f52",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a08c925cd455e7242c34a21ffefb61ecf29477ec037a59a0055cac97dee573d5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 26528
    },
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "The language of these people, a Bantu language; isiZulu."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "689e95f6c778f995bfdd26ab181e84755c975a25cc26c292cdf651201abda811",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ba9cfd60ae7fb35e8d5f043309377643230252c14edd3d1281cdd1ebe1da582a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 26529
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Pertaining to the Zulu people, culture, or language."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "6ed94586667f647bdd22451e19c57a63b70de0272648d6a87b2ef87b02d7757f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a92d754208b62f74fb0a95d8c34bdcc46675e6d78cda59200fb40dcdc086e5e5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 26530
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Zulu →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-WnVsdQ