Vodou
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of Vodou
First recorded in 1880–85; from an Indigenous language spoken in Benin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Vodou began to take shape in the French colony of Saint-Domingue during funeral rituals for enslaved people and dances called “calendas” that they organized on Sunday evenings.
From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024
Credited with that turnaround are thinkers like Jean Price-Mars, whose 1928 book, “Thus Spoke the Uncle,” visualized Vodou as a religion, “without making the Haitian elites blush,” wrote sociologist Lewis Ampidu Clorméus.
From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024
Vodou has since become a key ingredient in Haiti’s rich cultural scene, inspiring music, art, writing and dance.
From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024
During Vodou ceremonies, lwa are offered treats ranging from papayas and coffee to popcorn, lollipops and cheese puffs.
From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024
Is it because you are a mambo—a Vodou priestess who held ceremonies in the courtyard of a Christian NGO building?
From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.