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didgeridoo

/ˌdɪdʒəriˈdu/
IPA guide

Other forms: didgeridoos

A didgeridoo is an Australian Aborigine musical instrument that looks like a long, wooden pipe and makes a droning, hypnotic sound.

The word didgeridoo is not Aboriginal, and etymologists think the word is probably an attempt to imitate the sounds made by the ancient wind instrument. Expert players can sustain a tone for almost an hour, using the technique of circular breathing (getting air through the nose while blowing out with the lips). Some Aboriginal Australians consider the instrument and its eerie, pulsing sound to be sacred, and consider non-ceremonial playing to be offensive.

Definitions of didgeridoo
  1. noun
    a tube-shaped wind instrument of Australia’s Aboriginal people, usually made from a hollow branch or bamboo
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