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griot

[ gree-oh, gree-oh, gree-ot ]
/ griˈoʊ, ˈgri oʊ, ˈgri ɒt /
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noun
a member of a hereditary caste among the peoples of western Africa whose function is to keep an oral history of the tribe or village and to entertain with stories, poems, songs, dances, etc.
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Origin of griot

1955–60; <French, earlier guiriot, perhaps ultimately <Portuguese criado domestic servant, altered in W African coastal creoles
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for griot

griot
/ (ˈɡriːəʊ, ɡriːˈɒt) /

noun
(in Western Africa) a member of a caste responsible for maintaining an oral record of tribal history in the form of music, poetry, and storytelling

Word Origin for griot

C20: from French guirot, perhaps from Portuguese criado domestic servant
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
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