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View synonyms for obeah

obeah

[ oh-bee-uh ]

noun

  1. a form of belief involving sorcery, practiced in parts of the West Indies, South America, the southern U.S., and Africa.
  2. a fetish or charm used in practicing obeah.


obeah

/ ˈəʊbɪə /

noun

  1. another word for obi 2
“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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Word History and Origins

Origin of obeah1

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)
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Example Sentences

The same missionary told me that in Sierra Leone, also, Obeah and poisoning go hand in hand.

But the pièce de résistance of the day was to be the examination and probable committal of the Obeah-man of those parts.

That spirit belongs to the Obeah, or Fêtish-man; and he puts it, by magic ceremonies, into any object which he chooses.

The ceiba is the sacred tree of the negro, the temple of Jumbi, the proper house of Obeah.

The rumor got about that Maumee Niña had become an Obeah woman,—a voodoo worker, a witch.

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O.B.E.O beautiful for spacious skies