/yooh'keuh lay"lee/ ; Hawaiian. /ooh'koo lay"lay/ , n.
a small, guitarlike musical instrument associated chiefly with Hawaiian music.
Also, ukelele .
[ 1895-1900, Amer.; 'ukulele leaping flea ( 'uku flea + lele to jump, leap), a nickname given to British army officer Edward Purvis (who popularized the instrument at the court of King Kalakaua), in reference to his lively playing style ]