Tutsi

noun

Tut·​si ˈtü-sē How to pronounce Tutsi (audio) ˈtüt- How to pronounce Tutsi (audio)
plural Tutsi or Tutsis
: a member of a people of Rwanda and Burundi probably of Nilotic origin

Examples of Tutsi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Prior to colonization in 1919, Hutus and Tutsi were impermanent economic class categories, likely determined by the number of cattle individuals owned. Anneliese M. Schenk-Day, The Conversation, 5 Apr. 2024 His family with Tatiana is mixed: Hutu and Tutsi, all jumbled up. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 29 July 2024 In 1994, ethnic Hutu extremists in Rwanda assassinated President Juvénal Habyarimana, triggering genocide against the Tutsi and mass killings of moderate Hutu and other groups. Judd Devermont, Foreign Affairs, 27 June 2024 Two new books by Gilles Kepel and Olivier Roy offer better… The Unanswered Question: Attempting to Explain the Rwandan Genocide Seven years after more than 500,000 Tutsi were massacred in Rwanda, the world still cannot explain why. Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024 Deliberate attempts to wipe a people out is, whether Nazis attempt to wipe out all with Jewish blood or Hutu try to wipe out Tutsi in Rwanda. Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 May 2024 Leaders in the south, which had a large Tutsi population, initially resisted, but were either killed or forced to comply. The Week Uk, theweek, 21 Apr. 2024 Then, government soldiers from a nearby military barracks began to burn Tutsi houses. Tinbete Ermyas, NPR, 13 May 2024 Feeling compelled to protect other Tutsi, his hotel becomes a safe haven for those fleeing the genocide. Rivea Ruff, Essence, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Tutsi was in 1950

Dictionary Entries Near Tutsi

Cite this Entry

“Tutsi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Tutsi. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

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