Dahomey
Americannoun
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former name of Benin.
-
Also called the Kingdom of Dahomey. a former kingdom in what is now southern Benin that existed from around 1600 to 1900.
noun
Other Word Forms
- Dahoman adjective
- Dahomean adjective
Etymology
Origin of Dahomey
First recorded in 1780–90; from Fon dã homè; literally, “belly of Da, snake's belly”
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.
‘Dahomey’ and ‘Sugarcane,’ two acclaimed documentaries vying for Oscar recognition, tackle the legacies of colonialism.
From Los Angeles Times
“I journeyed so long in my mind, but it was so dark in this foreign place,” he intones, in Fon, the nearly eradicated language of Dahomey, “that I lost myself in my dreams.”
From Los Angeles Times
One of them, an intricately carved throne, expresses the Kingdom of Dahomey’s expansionist practice of enslaving captured enemies.
From Los Angeles Times
The top prize at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival was given to “Dahomey,” a documentary by the French filmmaker Mati Diop about 26 looted artworks that were returned to Benin from France in 2021.
From New York Times
The deal followed French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision in 2021 to sign over 26 pieces known as the Abomey Treasures, priceless artworks of the 19th century Dahomey kingdom in present-day Benin.
From Seattle Times
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.
