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Added 9 October 2026

obeah

/ˈəʊbɪə/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about obeah at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

(West Indies) followers of a religious system involving witchcraft and sorcery.
A religious belief of African origin involving witchcraft and sorcery; practiced in parts of the West Indies and tropical Americas.

Origin

Uncertain; apparently from a Caribbean creole, probably ultimately from a West African language. The Oxford English Dictionary points to Igbo abià (“knowledge, wisdom”), obìa (“doctor, healer”). Cognate of Aukan obiya, Saramaccan obia, and Sranan Tongo obia.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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