juju

[ joo-joo ]
See synonyms for juju on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an object venerated superstitiously and used as a fetish or amulet in West African spiritual practices.

  2. the magical power attributed to such an object.

  1. Informal. an emanating aura or supernatural force: The charismatic lead singer has serious juju.The team chalked up that string of unfortunate losses to bad juju on the road.

Origin of juju

1
First recorded in 1890–95; allegedly from Hausa jūjū “fetish,” from French joujou “toy, plaything”

Other words from juju

  • ju·ju·ism, noun
  • ju·ju·ist, noun

Words Nearby juju

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use juju in a sentence

  • At Arochuku they went down the gorge to the juju house, at the door of which they found a white goat starving to death.

    The White Queen of Okoyong | W.P. Livingstone
  • They took the food and money which the visitors brought, and then said the juju wanted a living offering.

    The White Queen of Okoyong | W.P. Livingstone
  • When the time came to make the pulpit and seats, he said: "We want wood, cut down the juju tree."

    The White Queen of Okoyong | W.P. Livingstone
  • "I be missionary boy, sah, and savvy them juju palaver be all dam fraud," he stated in the coast English.

    The League of the Leopard | Harold Bindloss

British Dictionary definitions for juju

juju

/ (ˈdʒuːdʒuː) /


noun
  1. an object superstitiously revered by certain W African peoples and used as a charm or fetish

  2. the power associated with a juju

  1. a taboo effected by a juju

  2. any process in which a mystery is exploited to confuse people

Origin of juju

1
C19: probably from Hausa djudju evil spirit, fetish

Derived forms of juju

  • jujuism, noun
  • jujuist, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012