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English word origin

Etymology of kazoo

Probably onomatopoeic.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary 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 simple musical instrument (a membranophone) consisting of a pipe with a hole in it, producing a buzzing sound when the player hums into it. · Synonym of keister (“anus or buttocks”).

verb

To play the kazoo.

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

Probably onomatopoeic.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "en",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "onomatopoeic"
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A simple musical instrument (a membranophone) consisting of a pipe with a hole in it, producing a buzzing sound when the player hums into it.",
        "Synonym of keister (“anus or buttocks”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "slang"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 267427
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To play the kazoo."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "f77bea6138d49734a664267fad7d1121e9f7f5fec4beb4008bb179a4fb2cbff2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6b82b5b44fdd93e492b6e84364016d10e1fc29591b512476c43b98a5ea29363f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 267428
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

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 kazoo →

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-a2F6b28