Dahomey

[ duh-hoh-mee; French da-aw-mey ]

noun

1. former name of Benin ( def 1 ).
2. Also called the Kingdom of Dahomey. a former kingdom in what is now southern Benin that existed from around 1600 to 1900.

Dahomey

/ dəˈhəʊmɪ /

noun

1. See Benin
   the former name (until 1975) of Benin

Other Words From

• Da·ho·me·an Da·ho·man [d, uh, -, hoh, -m, uh, n], adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dahomey¹

First recorded in 1780–90; from Fon dã homè; literally, “belly of Da, snake's belly”

Example Sentences

Learning about the warrior women of Dahomey, it was a history that I had read about.

From Eater

We can scarcely regard the persons figuring in the following true story as being very much superior to the King of Dahomey.

From Project Gutenberg

In Dahomey the Amazonian guards of the king perform all military duty with equal ease and thoroughness with men.

From Project Gutenberg

What we find in germs and remnants elsewhere, grow, in Dahomey, to inordinate and incredible proportions.

From Project Gutenberg

The other fled to the Little Popo, an island off the coast of Dahomey, and there settled.

From Project Gutenberg

As well might I suppose that your monarchical sympathies deeply interest you in the autocracy of Dahomey and Drfur.

From Project Gutenberg