Vodou

American  

[voh-doo] / ˈvoʊ du /

noun

1. an Afro-Caribbean religion practiced chiefly by Haitians, deriving principally from West African Vodun and containing elements borrowed from the Roman Catholic religion.

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Etymology

Origin of Vodou

First recorded in 1880–85; from an Indigenous language spoken in Benin

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Vodou

But long after Romero transformed them from blank-eyed puppets to ravenous murder machines, Bedward’s film demonstrates how Hollywood’s version of the zombie impacts America’s perception of Vodou, Haitians and immigration.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026

After a 13-year revolution, Haiti became independent, but Vodou remained oppressed.

From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024

Credited with that turnaround are thinkers like Jean Price-Mars, whose 1928 book, “Thus Spoke the Uncle,” visualized Vodou as a religion, “without making the Haitian elites blush,” wrote sociologist Lewis Ampidu Clorméus.

From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024

It’s unknown how many people currently practice Vodou in Haiti, but there’s a popular saying: “Haiti is 70% Catholic, 30% Protestant and 100% Vodou.”

From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024

Is it because you are a mambo—a Vodou priestess who held ceremonies in the courtyard of a Christian NGO building?

From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi

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