voodoo
/ˈvudu/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.42 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any of a group of related religious practices found chiefly in and around the Caribbean, particularly in Haiti and Louisiana.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The spiritual beliefs of the Ewe/Fon of West Africa, practiced chiefly in Benin and in the south of Togo.
Countable; Uncountable
verb
To bewitch someone or something using voodoo
Example Sentences
- "Years later, she had found out about the Voodoo drink - a concoction of rum, gunpowder, grave-dirt and human blood. She almost retched as the taste came back to her mouth."
- "You cannot understand Haitian Vodou as it is practised today without first knowing something about the culture from which it sprang, and the ways history has shaped religion, and vice versa."
- "I want a real explanation, not this statistical voodoo."
- "So a reporter of the Boston Herald (U.S.) has 'interviewed' a few local Voodoos. He has seen a dance round a boiling pot, seen some tomfoolery with spiders, and heard a lot of superstitious stories."
- "He claimed his neighbor had voodooed him."
Etymology
From Louisiana Creole voudou, from Haitian Creole Vodou, from a West African language, such as Ewe vódũ (“deity, idol”), Fon vòdún (“fetish”) or the Kwa languages vodũ.
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈvudu/
- British English: /ˈvuːduː/