obeah
pronunciation
How to pronounce obeah in British English: UK ['əʊbɪə]
How to pronounce obeah in American English: US ['oʊbɪr]
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- Noun:
- a religious belief of African origin involving witchcraft and sorcery; practiced in parts of the West Indies and tropical Americas
Word Origin
- obeah (n.)
- "sorcery, witchcraft" among blacks in Africa and the W.Indies, 1760, from a West African word, such as Efik (southern Nigeria) ubio "a thing or mixture left as a charm to cause sickness or death," Twi ebayifo "witch, wizard, sorcerer."
Example
- 1. Caribbean culture the emancipation colonialism imperialistic ideology patriarchy obeah .
- 2. The obeah men of the west indies have many clients in the united states .