Mzungu (pronounced [m̩ˈzuŋɡu]), also known as muzungu, mlungu, musungu or musongo, is a Bantu word that means "wanderer" originally pertaining to the first European explorers to the East African region whom the local ethnic groups thought were traveling aimlessly with no goals to settle, conquer or trade, like restless spirits – the initial explorers who unbeknownst to the local tribes, were tasked with mapping the area, travel and trade routes, key landmarks like the source of the river Nile as well as documenting dominant kingdoms and forging some alliances that were then later used by missionaries and colonialists in their conquest.
The noun mzungu or its variants are used in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Comoros, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mayotte, Zambia and in the north of Madagascar (the word changed to vozongo in Malagasy, but locals will still understand the word mzungu) dating back to the 18th century.
[1] The term was first used in Africa to describe Arab, Indian and European traders and explorers in the 18th century, apparently because they moved around aimlessly.
Traditionally, Europeans were seen to be people of means and rich and so the terminology was extended to denote affluent persons regardless of race.
[4][5][6] The plural form may be used to confer a respect, such as the use of the term azungu to refer to individual foreigners in Malawi's Chichewa language.