What is "Mizzou?"
Mizzou is the University’s nickname and is pronounced muh-ZOO. The word Mizzou is an example of clipping. That means that a longer word, Missouri, got shortened (or clipped) to Mizzou, which is similar but shorter. No one is sure who first used the word Mizzou, but it was used in the Missouri Alumni Quarterly as early as December 1905.
The University uses the word Mizzou often. A number of print and online publications incorporate the affectionate nickname including our alumni magazine called MIZZOU, our monthly e-newsletter @Mizzou, the faculty and staff newspaper Mizzou Weekly, and our junior high science magazine called Mizzou Magic. It also has a number of fun uses such as a cheer at football and basketball games in which people on one side of the stadium shout M-I-Z, and the other side replies Z-O-U.
The nickname, regardless of its origin, is as much a part of campus tradition as Homecoming and the Columns. After all, there’s only one Mizzou!
