Home British & World English Mizo

Definition of Mizo in English:

Mizo

noun

  • 1A member of a people inhabiting Mizoram.

    • ‘As a result Manipuris, Nagas and Mizos are often asked if they are Chinese, Japanese or from some other Southeast Asian country.’
    • ‘And after Welsh missionaries arrived in the area in 1894, nearly all Bnei Menashes, Kukis and Mizos were converted from their animistic beliefs to Christianity.’
    • ‘Nagas and Mizos have fought protracted guerrilla wars against the government to prevent their ethnic identities and their interests from being submerged in an India of ‘principal languages’.’
    • ‘It is this kind of indifference to their future that turns north-easterners (Nagas, Mizos and others) wish to secede from India.’
    • ‘Rich in culture, tradition, and folklore, the Mizos have often demonstrated their native dances to the nation during the Republic Day functions in New Delhi.’

  • 2[mass noun] The Tibeto-Burman language of the Mizo, with about 340,000 speakers.

    Also called Lushai

adjective

  • Relating to the Mizo or their language.

    • ‘Few know that 500-odd students and several government officials and families from Mizoram live in this city, and fewer still know anything about Mizo culture.’
    • ‘She says that women are fighting hard for equality within the church, but it is an uphill task being pitched against the patriarchal forces of Mizo society.’
    • ‘And as a member of the Sahitya Akademi General Council, he has been doing his bit to promote Mizo language and culture in the Capital.’
    • ‘And more intriguing was the fact that a festival of the Mizo dances had presentations by local Kuchipudi artistes!’
    • ‘In neighboring Mizoram state, minority Hindu and Buddhist Reang tribals were kicked out of the state by the majority Christian Mizo tribals.’

Origin

The name in Mizo, literally highlander, from mi- person + zo hill.

Pronunciation:

Mizo

/ˈmiːzəʊ/