Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A musical instrument of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, consisting of a long hollow branch or stick that makes a deep drone when blown into while vibrating the lips.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A musical instrument endemic to the Top End of Australia, consisting of a long hollowed out log, which, when blown into, produces a low, deep mesmerising drone with sweeping rhythms.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Imitative of its sound.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Onomatopoeic

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Examples

  • Now this here is what we call a didgeridoo, mate.

    The Mocking Program Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- 2002

  • The moan of the didgeridoo was a pounding in his temples.

    Impossible Places Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- 2002

  • The moan of the didgeridoo was a pounding in his temples.

    Impossible Places Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- 2002

  • The moan of the didgeridoo was a pounding in his temples.

    Impossible Places Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- 2002

  • I am not sure that the didgeridoo was a smart move, but it was interesting.

    Best Syndication - Nicole Wilson 2010

  • A didgeridoo is a droning wind instrument made from a hollowed-out tree branch or trunk.

    Latest News - UPI.com 2010

  • Well, Sci hypothesizes that the changes these scientists saw with the didgeridoo were the result of the training the patients received in learning and practicing circular breathing.

    ScienceBlogs Channel : Life Science 2010

  • The didgeridoo is a long, Australian aboriginal wind instrument, according to The Didgeridoo Specialists online.

    Ledger-Enquirer.com: Breaking News 2010

  • The didgeridoo is a long, Australian aboriginal wind instrument, according to The Didgeridoo Specialists online.

    Ledger-Enquirer.com: Breaking News 2010

  • Dr Rose says the didgeridoo is a man's instrument and touching it could make girls infertile, and has called for the book to be pulped.

    Pharyngula 2008

Comments

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  • Australian wind instrument. It's really just a long, gnarly, hollow tube. Played by pressing one's lips against the opening at one end and making blubbery sounds. Any time the land down under is referenced in the media, a didgeridoo will inevitably be heard. I made one in college by mutilating a PVC pipe with a blowtorch, a kitchen oven, and a beer bottle.

    December 13, 2006

  • C_b, why isn't this word on your list?

    Bum buttery, flit fluttery

    Dum didgeri-doo...

    July 10, 2008

  • I think cuz I spelled it differently. In this spelling it's on my list already: didjeridoo. In fact it was the first word on the list. I think I got that spelling from OED or something.

    July 10, 2008

  • Didjeridoo is acceptable spelling. Languages of the saltwater peoples are traditionally not written languages so spelling is moot. I sense that the more authentic term yidaki is overtaking didjeridoo in usage. A yidaki is the real thing, and only the real thing. A didjeridoo could be anything that makes a didjeridoo-like sound, including uselessness's (half-)baked instrumentation.

    July 10, 2008

  • "Aboriginal leaders in Australia have called for a book teaching girls how to play the didgeridoo to be scrapped. The Australian version of the Daring Book for Girls is due to be published next month.

    It has angered some indigenous leaders who view the didgeridoo as a male instrument not to be played by women. Publisher Harper Collins Australia said it was not aware of any taboos on women playing the didgeridoo, and has apologised for any offence caused."

    - Nick Bryant, 'Didgeridoo book upsets Aborigines ', BBC website, 3 September 2008.

    September 3, 2008

  • Has Harper Collins Australia been in Australia long? How could they not know this?

    September 3, 2008

  • Didjeridu seems to be the favoured spelling for many indigenous performers.

    The truly amazing William Barton is one such. (NB. He'll be touring in Italy with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in September – worth catching if you're in that neck of the woods.)

    Otherwise the more "anglo" spelling is the one for this page didgeridoo. Then there are variants, which tend to combine aspects of these two. (And yes, for languages that aren't traditionally written, and in a culture where there are a great many language groups, the matter of spelling is indeed moot.)

    Incidentally, the true art of didjeridu playing lies not in the "blubbery sounds", as uselessness delightfully puts it, but in the circular breathing that is necessary to sustain a performance of more than a few seconds. I can't really do circular breathing (tried when I was a serious flutist) but I guess this isn't an issue, since I'm a girl.

    September 3, 2008

  • Maybe it's an issue. If you like putting a straw in your juice and blowing lots of bubbles, circular breathing is very useful. If you can't manage it you can just drink the juice.

    September 3, 2008