obeah

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

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

Etymology

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.

In classic literature

Synonyms

obi

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