tutu

[too-too; French ty-ty] /ˈtu tu; French tüˈtü/
noun, plural tutus
[too-tooz; French ty-ty] /ˈtu tuz; French tüˈtü/ (Show IPA)
1.
a short, full skirt, usually made of several layers of tarlatan or tulle, worn by ballerinas.
Origin
1925-30; < French

Tutu

[too-too] /ˈtu tu/
noun
1.
Desmond (Mpilo)
[uh m-pee-loh] /əmˈpi loʊ/ (Show IPA), born 1931, South African Anglican clergyman and civil-rights activist: Nobel Peace Prize 1984; archbishop of Cape Town since 1986.
Examples from the web for tutu
  • When a dancer has surplus weight, there can be no more ruthless way to demonstrate it than to dance in a tutu with shoulders bare.
  • tutu would not have needed to apply for voluntary departure or request an extension had she not been in deportation proceedings.
  • tutu himself said that the veracity of the letters was unclear.
British Dictionary definitions for tutu

tutu1

/ˈtuːtuː/
noun
1.
a very short skirt worn by ballerinas, made of projecting layers of stiffened sheer material
Word Origin
from French, changed from the nursery word cucu backside, from cul, from Latin cūlus the buttocks

tutu2

/ˈtuːtuː/
noun
1.
a shrub, Coriaria arborea, of New Zealand, having seeds that are poisonous to farm animals
Word Origin
Māori

Tutu

/ˈtuːtuː/
noun
1.
Desmond. born 1931, South African clergyman, noted for his opposition to apartheid: Anglican Bishop of Johannesburg (1984–86) and Archbishop of Cape Town (1986–96); in 1995 he became leader of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, established to investigate human rights violations during the apartheid era. Nobel peace prize 1984
Word Origin and History for tutu
n.

ballet skirt, 1910, from French tutu, alteration of cucu, infantile reduplication of cul "bottom, backside."

Encyclopedia Article for tutu

standard skirt worn by female ballet dancers, consisting of four or five layers of silk or nylon frills; the skirt is attached to a sleek-fitting bodice. (Originally tutu designated a short, trouserlike petticoat worn under a dancer's costume.) The prototype of the Romantic tutu, extending to within about 12 inches (30 cm) of the floor, was introduced in the 1830s by Marie Taglioni. The tutu gradually was shortened until, by the 1880s, the whole leg was visible. Both the Romantic and the brief tutu are worn in contemporary ballet.

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