juju

[ joo-joo ]

/ ˈdʒu dʒu /

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noun

an object venerated superstitiously and used as a fetish or amulet in West African spiritual practices.

the magical power attributed to such an object.

Informal. an emanating aura or supernatural force: The charismatic lead singer has serious juju.The team chalked up that string of unfortunate losses to bad juju on the road.

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Origin of juju

First recorded in 1890–95; allegedly from Hausa jūjū “fetish,” from French joujou “toy, plaything”

OTHER WORDS FROM juju

ju·ju·ism, nounju·ju·ist, noun

Words nearby juju

juicer, juice up, juicy, Juiz de Fora, jujitsu, juju, jujube, Jujuy, juke, jukebox, jukebox musical

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use juju in a sentence

Good Morning America anchor Juju Chang asked Smart how she had found the courage to testify against her captor Mitchell.
Elizabeth Smart on How She Survived Her Kidnapping|Liz Goodwin|March 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Juju Chang is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and news anchor for Good Morning America .
Hope After An Unspeakable Crime|JuJu Chang|August 27, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Juju Chang, Deborah Roberts and Elizabeth Vargas report, while John Stossel apparently gets the hell outta there.
Beyond Ryan Seacrest|Nicole Ankowski|December 28, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Now the juju tree is where the god of a village is supposed to live, and his men were horror-struck.
The White Queen of Okoyong|W.P. Livingstone

At Arochuku they went down the gorge to the juju house, at the door of which they found a white goat starving to death.
The White Queen of Okoyong|W.P. Livingstone
They took the food and money which the visitors brought, and then said the juju wanted a living offering.
The White Queen of Okoyong|W.P. Livingstone
When the time came to make the pulpit and seats, he said: "We want wood, cut down the juju tree."
The White Queen of Okoyong|W.P. Livingstone
"I be missionary boy, sah, and savvy them JuJu palaver be all dam fraud," he stated in the coast English.
The League of the Leopard|Harold Bindloss

British Dictionary definitions for juju

juju

/ (ˈdʒuːdʒuː) /

noun

an object superstitiously revered by certain W African peoples and used as a charm or fetish

the power associated with a juju

a taboo effected by a juju

any process in which a mystery is exploited to confuse people

Derived forms of juju

jujuism, nounjujuist, noun

Word Origin for juju

C19: probably from Hausa djudju evil spirit, fetish

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

juju

Origin of juju

OTHER WORDS FROM juju

Words nearby juju

Words related to juju

How to use juju in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for juju

Derived forms of juju

Word Origin for juju