Gogo

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A term of respect for a grandmother, used in parts of southern Africa ; a dancer who performs energetically at a club or party ; a fast-moving, aggressive, or fashionable manner or style
2. An affectionate name for a grandmother in southern Africa ; a performer who dances lively routines in a nightclub ; describing something fast-paced, bold, or trendy in its energy or approach
3. The name used for a grandmother among some southern African peoples ; a person who dances in a lively way at a club ; a fashionable, rapid, or aggressive way of doing things

Etymology: Gogo is a term of respect and affection for a grandmother in southern Africa, and English borrowed it from Zulu, where the form is "ugogo." In Zulu the prefix "u-" marks a noun in the class used for people, so the word is really a root meaning "grandmother" that has been given its ordinary noun shell. Zulu speakers use the word for their own grandmothers and, more broadly, for older women who are respected as elders. The word's appeal in English lies in its repetition. Doubled syllables are a common way to form nursery and family terms across many languages, and "gogo" fits that pattern, which may help explain why it travels easily into speech about family. Because it arrived through a specific regional language rather than through Latin or French, it sits outside the usual route by which English acquires its kinship vocabulary.