Lulu

• IPA^(key): /ˈluːluː/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːlu

A reduplication of Lu, a clipping of given names with the first syllable of Lu, Lou, such as Lucy, Lucille, Louise, Louisa.

• Loulou

Lulu (plural Lulus or Lulues)

1. A female given name.
   • 1860, Minnie S. Davis, “The Rival School-Mates”, in The Ladies' Repository, volumes 28-29, A. Tompkins, page 500:

     "Do excuse me, and forgive my inquisitiveness. I was struck with the name Lulu." "You think it a baby name," she said, laughing. "O, no; it is wonderfully sweet to me! and may I sometimes call you so?"

   • 1920, Zona Gale, Miss Lulu Bett:

     There emerged from the fringe of things, where she perpetually hovered, Mrs. Deacon's older sister, Lulu Bett, who was "making her home with us." And that was precisely the case. They were not making her a home, goodness knows. Lulu was the family beast of burden.

   1. A diminutive of the female given names Louisa, Louise, Lucy, or Lucille.

• Fairly popular as a formal given name in the latter half of the 19th century.

Borrowed from Chinese 璐璐, 露露, 璐露, 露璐, etc.; in turn from 璐, 露, etc. From the Chinese practice of reduplicating a syllable or character to create a female name.

• From Mandarin Lù Lù, Lù-Lù, Lù-lù, Lùlù / Lu4lu4 / ㄌㄨˋㄌㄨˋ; in turn from Lù/lù, ㄌㄨˋ, Lu4/lu4. From Middle Chinese luH/LuH
• From Cantonese Lou6lou6; in turn from Lou6/lou6. From Middle Chinese luH/LuH
• From Taishanese Lu5lu5; in turn from Lu5/lu5. From Middle Chinese luH/LuH

• Lu Lu, Lu-Lu, Lu-lu, Lou Lou, Lou-Lou, Lou-lou, Loulou

Lulu (plural Lulus or Lulues)

1. A female given name from Chinese (Should we delete⁽⁺⁾ this sense?).

From Arabic لُؤْلُؤ (luʔluʔ, literally “pearl”).

Lulu (plural Lulus)

1. A unisex given name from Arabic.
   1. A female given name from Arabic, equivalent to English Pearl.

From English Lulu, name of a character appearing in a TVB drama 《兄兄我我》 (1992).

Lulu

1. (Cantonese, slang, dated) idiot

   你咪當我Lulu喎！ [Hong Kong Cantonese, trad.]
   你咪当我Lulu㖞！ [Hong Kong Cantonese, simp.]

   nei⁵ mai⁵ dong³ ngo⁵ lu¹ lu⁴ wo³! [Jyutping]

   Don't treat me as an idiot!

   • 1998 September 5, Samuel ICQ-5059101, “SWAT2”, in hk.rec.videogame‎^[1] (Usenet):

     面對面一個賊可以打死幾個警察，當人LuLu呀！ [Cantonese, trad.]
     面对面一个贼可以打死几个警察，当人LuLu呀！ [Cantonese, simp.]

     min⁶ deoi³ min⁶ jat¹ go³ caak^6-2 ho² ji⁵ daa² sei² gei² go³ ging² caat³, dong³ jan⁴ lu¹ lu⁴ aa⁴! [Jyutping]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2000 June 8, Kit傑, “Re : 屎坑 <--改改”, in hk.rec.horse-racing‎^[2] (Usenet):

     梗係買佢揀剩o個o的喇..
     唔好當我 lulu 啊..._

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2000, “父母不在家（上）”, in 外来媳妇本地郎‎^[3], season 1, episode 129, spoken by 苏妙婵 (虎艳芬):

     呢班嘢咁沙尘下话？你当我哋三个Lulu呀？ [Cantonese, simp.]
     呢班嘢咁沙塵下話？你當我哋三個Lulu呀？ [Cantonese, trad.]

     nei¹ baan¹ je⁵ gam³ saa¹ can⁴ haa⁶ waa⁵? nei⁵ dong³ ngo⁵ dei⁶ saam¹ go³ lu¹ lu⁴ aa⁴? [Jyutping]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2001 March 30, Tam, “大陸有線解碼邊隻收得最好?”, in hk.comp.pc‎^[4] (Usenet):

     上深圳買解碼器十部有九部壞,想唔叫妳做lulu都唔得

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2017, 歐陽偉豪, Ben Sir 成語大學堂 1‎^[5], →ISBN, page 19:

     一斤石頭重定係一斤綿花重？兩個一樣重囉，咪當我lulu先得㗎！ [Cantonese, trad.]
     一斤石头重定系一斤绵花重？两个一样重啰，咪当我lulu先得㗎！ [Cantonese, simp.]

     jat¹ gan¹ sek⁶ tau⁴ cung⁵ ding⁶ hai⁶ jat¹ gan¹ min⁴ faa¹ cung⁵? loeng⁵ go³ jat¹ joeng⁶ cung⁵ lo¹, mai⁵ dong³ ngo⁵ lu¹ lu⁴ sin¹ dak¹ gaa²! [Jyutping]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• Robert

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

From a diminutive of Luise and other female names beginning with Lu-.

Lulu

1. a female given name of rare usage

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Lulu n (strong, genitive Lulu, no plural)

1. (Austria, childish) urine (Austrian child language)

   Synonyms: Pipi, Urin

By extension from Etymology 2.

Lulu n (strong, genitive Lulus, plural Lulus)

1. (Austria, derogatory) wimp, wuss

   Synonyms: Schlappschwanz, Memme, Weichei

   Bist ein Mann oder ein Lulu? ― Are you a man or a wuss?