Agojie

American  

[uh-goh-jee] / əˈgoʊ dʒi /

noun

1. the female military regiment of Dahomey's standing army, originating in the 1700s or earlier and reaching its height in the 1800s, but becoming largely defunct after France's 1894 conquest of the kingdom.

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Etymology

Origin of Agojie

First recorded in 2022; from Fon

Example Sentences

In “The Woman King,” Viola Davis is the head of the Agojie, an all-female unit of warriors who protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 20, 2023

Talk about transitioning from playing a sensitive, singing educator to playing a fearless Agojie warrior.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2023

Davis did, along with Thuso Mbedu's journey as Nawi, a dismissed young woman who joins the Agojie after her parents throw her to the king's mercy.

From Salon • Sep. 24, 2022

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood from a screenplay by Dana Stevens, “The Woman King” focuses on the Agojie, an all-female warrior troop in Africa in the 1800s.

From New York Times • Sep. 18, 2022

The film, about the Agojie, the all-female army of the Kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa in the 1800s, got glowing reviews after its debut at the Toronto Film Festival.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 18, 2022