u·ku·le·le or u·ke·le·le (yo̅o̅′kə-lā′lē, o̅o̅′kə-)
n.
A small four-stringed guitar popularized in Hawaii.
[Hawaiian 'ukulele : 'uku, flea + lele, jumping.]
Regional Note: The word ukulele is one of a small stock of Polynesian borrowings into American English. Other Hawaiian words now common in American English are aloha (a greeting or farewell) and luau (an outdoor picnic usually featuring a whole barbecued pig). Haole, a word common in Hawaii itself but not well known on the American mainland, is the Hawaiian word for a white person.