obeah
[oh-bee-uh]
noun
a form of belief involving sorcery, practiced in parts of the West Indies, South America, the southern U.S., and Africa.
a fetish or charm used in practicing obeah.
RELATED WORDS
witchcraft, abracadabra, necromancy, enchantment, hoodoo, spell, sorcery, divination, alchemy, charm, hocus-pocus, jinx, devilry, witchery, wizardry, obi, conjuring
Nearby words
- obduction,
- obduracy,
- obdurate,
- obduration,
- obe,
- obeche,
- obedience,
- obedience training,
- obedience trial,
- obedient
Also obi.
Origin of obeah
1750–60; compare Gullah, Jamaican English, Guyanan English, Sranan óbia magic, charm; < a West African language, though precise source unclear; compare Twi ɔ-bayifó sorcerer (compound with -fo person), Igbo díbìà folk healer (compound with dí- expert in)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for obeah
obeah
noun
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
obeah
"sorcery, witchcraft" among blacks in Africa and the W.Indies, 1760, from a West African word, e.g. Efik (southern Nigeria) ubio "a thing or mixture left as a charm to cause sickness or death," Twi ebayifo "witch, wizard, sorcerer."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper