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, nounWords nearby juju
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use juju in a sentence
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, nounWord Origin for juju
C19: probably from Hausa djudju evil spirit, fetish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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