English word origin

Etymology of tutu

Borrowed from French tutu, from cucu (“bum, bottom”), playful reduplication of cul (“arse”).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting.

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

Borrowed from French tutu, from cucu (“bum, bottom”), playful reduplication of cul (“arse”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentiontutufr

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "tutu"
      },
      "expansion": "French tutu"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tutu",
      "tutu#French"
    ],
    [
      "cucu",
      "cucu#French"
    ],
    [
      "cul",
      "cul#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A ballet skirt made of layered stiff but light netting."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "ec759928c6ea2a36e9f32b8d38f026d4d296baf9240f3d8e1ab3cad762f5b3b6",
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    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Any of certain members of genus Coriaria of shrubs and trees found in New Zealand, including Coriaria arborea and Coriaria pottsiana, used by the Maori to make a sweetener, but toxic when not properly prepared.

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

Borrowed from Māori tutu.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "mi:tutu",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Māori\", \"term\" : \"tutu\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"mi\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"tutu\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"tutu\">\nBorrowed from Māori tutu."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "mi:tutu",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Māori tutu."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tutu",
      "tutu#Māori"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Any of certain members of genus Coriaria of shrubs and trees found in New Zealand, including Coriaria arborea and Coriaria pottsiana, used by the Maori to make a sweetener, but toxic when not properly prepared."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "New-Zealand"
      ],
      "recordId": "62442f0ddef7608bab6d9a4c51147065dab79c6ce9eca8522c7a9766febd20fa",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9efbca0f1099239407b9de54ae11a4beec58f6150c80506cb11551b39ef91ce7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 19352
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

verb

to fiddle or mess around with something.

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

From Māori tutū (“mischievous, disobedient”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentiontutūmi

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mi",
        "3": "tutū",
        "gloss": "mischievous, disobedient"
      },
      "expansion": "Māori tutū (“mischievous, disobedient”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tutū",
      "tutū#Māori"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "to fiddle or mess around with something."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "New-Zealand",
        "childish"
      ],
      "recordId": "eca68f7e87f96cbbfc0feb8fe9d678437550efca3638011af80ef93886dd9308",
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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 tutu →

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-dHV0dQ