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hoodoo
[ hoo-doo ]
/ ˈhu du /
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noun, plural hoo·doos.
Hoodoo. African American folk magic practiced predominantly in the southeastern United States through rituals of protection, herbal medicine, charming of objects, and ancestor veneration.Compare Vodou, Voodoo (def. 1).
(in popular culture) bad luck, or a person or thing that brings bad luck.
Geology. a pillar of rock, usually of fantastic shape, left by erosion.
verb (used with object), hoo·dooed, hoo·doo·ing.
(in popular culture) to bring or cause bad luck to.
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Origin of hoodoo
An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; apparently a variant of Voodoo
Words nearby hoodoo
hoodie, hoodlum, hoodman-blind, hood molding, hood mould, hoodoo, Hoodooism, hood rat, hoodwink, hoodwinked, hooey
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use hoodoo in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for hoodoo
hoodoo
/ (ˈhuːduː) /
noun plural -doos
a variant of voodoo
informal a person or thing that brings bad luck
informal bad luck
(in the western US and Canada) a strangely shaped column of rock
verb -doos, -dooing or -dooed
(tr) informal to bring bad luck to
Derived forms of hoodoo
hoodooism, nounWord Origin for hoodoo
C19: variant of voodoo
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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