voodoo

See also: Voodoo

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Fon voduder.

Haitian Creole Vodouder.

Louisiana Creole voudoubor.

English voodoo

From Louisiana Creole voudou, from Haitian Creole Vodou, from a West African language, such as Ewe vódũ (“deity, idol”), Fon vòdún (“fetish”) or the Kwa languages vodũ.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈvuːduː/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈvudu/
• (Scotland, Northern Ireland) IPA^(key): /ˈvʉdʉ/
• Rhymes: -uːduː

Noun

voodoo (countable and uncountable, plural voodoos)

1. Any of a group of related religious practices found chiefly in and around the Caribbean, particularly in Haiti and Louisiana.
   • 1954, Ian Fleming, “Allumeuse”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 109:

     Years later, she had found out about the Voodoo drink - a concoction of rum, gunpowder, grave-dirt and human blood. She almost retched as the taste came back to her mouth.

   • 2007, Kevin Filan, The Haitian Vodou Handbook, Destiny Books, page 13:

     You cannot understand Haitian Vodou as it is practised today without first knowing something about the culture from which it sprang, and the ways history has shaped religion, and vice versa.

2. The spiritual beliefs of the Ewe/Fon of West Africa, practiced chiefly in Benin and in the south of Togo.
3. (derogatory) Any sort of magical or irrational approach to a problem.

   I want a real explanation, not this statistical voodoo.

4. (dated) One who practices voodoo; a native sorcerer.
   • 1889, Longman's Magazine, volume 14, page 557:

     So a reporter of the Boston Herald (U.S.) has 'interviewed' a few local Voodoos. He has seen a dance round a boiling pot, seen some tomfoolery with spiders, and heard a lot of superstitious stories.

Alternative forms

• (religion of Africa or the Americas): vodou, vodoun, voudon, voudoun, vodun, voudou, Voodoo

Synonyms

• (religion): voodooism

Derived terms

• voodoo death
• voodoo doll
• voodoo economics
• voodooish
• voodooism
• voodooist
• voodooistic
• voodoolike
• voodoo mode
• voodoo programming
• voodoo science

Translations

Afro-Caribbean religion

• Afrikaans: voedoe
• Arabic: فودو m
• Bulgarian: вуду (bg) n (vudu)
• Catalan: vodú m, vudú m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 巫毒教 (wūdújiào), 伏都教 (zh) (fúdūjiào)

• Czech: vúdú n
• Danish: voodoo c
• Dutch: voodoo (nl) m
• Esperanto: voduo
• Finnish: voodoo (fi)
• French: vaudou (fr)
• Georgian: ვუდუ (vudu)
• German: Voodoo (de) m, Wodu (de) m, Voudou (de) m
• Haitian Creole: Vodou
• Italian: voodoo (it) m, vudù (it) m, vudu m
• Japanese: ブードゥー教 (būdū-kyō)
• Korean: 부두교 (budugyo), 부두 (ko) (budu)
• Norwegian: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: voodoo (pl) n, wudu (pl) f
• Portuguese: vodu (pt) m
• Réunion Creole French: vodou
• Russian: ву́ду (ru) m (vúdu)
• Spanish: vudú (es)
• Swedish: voodoo (sv) c
• Turkish: vudu
• Vietnamese: voodoo (vi)
• Welsh: fwdw m

Verb

voodoo (third-person singular simple present voodoos, present participle voodooing, simple past and past participle voodooed)

1. To bewitch someone or something using voodoo

   He claimed his neighbor had voodooed him.

See also

• hoodoo
• Haitian Vodou on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• West African Vodun on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Finnish

Etymology

From English voodoo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋuːduː/, [ˈʋuːduː]
• Rhymes: -uːduː

Noun

voodoo

1. voodoo

Declension

Inflection of voodoo (Kotus type 20/filee, no gradation)
nominative		voodoo	voodoot
genitive		voodoon	voodoiden voodoitten
partitive		voodoota	voodoita
illative		voodoohon voodooseen	voodoihin voodoisiin
		singular	plural
nominative		voodoo	voodoot
accusative	nom.	voodoo	voodoot
	gen.	voodoon
genitive		voodoon	voodoiden voodoitten
partitive		voodoota	voodoita
inessive		voodoossa	voodoissa
elative		voodoosta	voodoista
illative		voodoohon voodooseen	voodoihin voodoisiin
adessive		voodoolla	voodoilla
ablative		voodoolta	voodoilta
allative		voodoolle	voodoille
essive		voodoona	voodoina
translative		voodooksi	voodoiksi
abessive		voodootta	voodoitta
instructive		—	voodoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of voodoo (Kotus type 20/filee, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative voodooni voodooni accusative nom. voodooni voodooni gen. voodooni genitive voodooni voodoideni voodoitteni partitive voodootani voodoitani inessive voodoossani voodoissani elative voodoostani voodoistani illative voodoohoni voodooseeni voodoihini voodoisiini adessive voodoollani voodoillani ablative voodooltani voodoiltani allative voodoolleni voodoilleni essive voodoonani voodoinani translative voodookseni voodoikseni abessive voodoottani voodoittani instructive — — comitative — voodoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative voodoosi voodoosi accusative nom. voodoosi voodoosi gen. voodoosi genitive voodoosi voodoidesi voodoittesi partitive voodootasi voodoitasi inessive voodoossasi voodoissasi elative voodoostasi voodoistasi illative voodoohosi voodooseesi voodoihisi voodoisiisi adessive voodoollasi voodoillasi ablative voodooltasi voodoiltasi allative voodoollesi voodoillesi essive voodoonasi voodoinasi translative voodooksesi voodoiksesi abessive voodoottasi voodoittasi instructive — — comitative — voodoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative voodoomme voodoomme accusative nom. voodoomme voodoomme gen. voodoomme genitive voodoomme voodoidemme voodoittemme partitive voodootamme voodoitamme inessive voodoossamme voodoissamme elative voodoostamme voodoistamme illative voodoohomme voodooseemme voodoihimme voodoisiimme adessive voodoollamme voodoillamme ablative voodooltamme voodoiltamme allative voodoollemme voodoillemme essive voodoonamme voodoinamme translative voodooksemme voodoiksemme abessive voodoottamme voodoittamme instructive — — comitative — voodoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative voodoonne voodoonne accusative nom. voodoonne voodoonne gen. voodoonne genitive voodoonne voodoidenne voodoittenne partitive voodootanne voodoitanne inessive voodoossanne voodoissanne elative voodoostanne voodoistanne illative voodoohonne voodooseenne voodoihinne voodoisiinne adessive voodoollanne voodoillanne ablative voodooltanne voodoiltanne allative voodoollenne voodoillenne essive voodoonanne voodoinanne translative voodooksenne voodoiksenne abessive voodoottanne voodoittanne instructive — — comitative — voodoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative voodoonsa voodoonsa accusative nom. voodoonsa voodoonsa gen. voodoonsa genitive voodoonsa voodoidensa voodoittensa partitive voodootaan voodootansa voodoitaan voodoitansa inessive voodoossaan voodoossansa voodoissaan voodoissansa elative voodoostaan voodoostansa voodoistaan voodoistansa illative voodoohonsa voodooseensa voodoihinsa voodoisiinsa adessive voodoollaan voodoollansa voodoillaan voodoillansa ablative voodooltaan voodooltansa voodoiltaan voodoiltansa allative voodoolleen voodoollensa voodoilleen voodoillensa essive voodoonaan voodoonansa voodoinaan voodoinansa translative voodookseen voodooksensa voodoikseen voodoiksensa abessive voodoottaan voodoottansa voodoittaan voodoittansa instructive — — comitative — voodoineen voodoinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• voodoo-tohtori

Further reading

• “voodoo”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 4 July 2023

Italian

Noun

voodoo m (invariable)

1. alternative spelling of vudù

Adjective

voodoo (invariable)

1. alternative spelling of vudù

Norwegian Bokmål

A Vodou ceremony in Jacmel, Haiti, in 2002.

Etymology

Borrowed from American English voodoo, from Louisiana Creole voudou, from Haitian Creole Vodou, ultimately from a West African language, perhaps Ewe vódũ (“deity, idol”), Fon vòdún (“fetish”), or Kwa vodũ. First attested before 1971.

Compare Norwegian Nynorsk voodoo, Danish voodoo, Swedish voodoo, Finnish voodoo, Dutch voodoo, German Voodoo and Polish voodoo (“voodoo”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /¹ʋuː.du/, [ˈʋùː.dǔ]
• Rhymes: -uːdu
• Hyphenation: voo‧doo

Noun

voodoo m (definite singular voodooen, indefinite plural voodooer, definite plural voodooene)

1. (religion, voodoo) voodoo; a Haitian and Caribbean religion combining elements of West African religions with Catholicism

   Voodoo har en viktig plass i haitisk historie og kultur. ― Voodoo has an important place in Haitian history and culture.

   • 1970, Dagbladet, number 124, page 9, column 4:

     [etterkommere av afrikanske slaver] hadde praktisert en kultus som for dem erstatter religionen: Voodoo

     [descendants of African slaves] had practised a cult which for them takes the place of religion: Voodoo

2. magic, sorcery; black magic; by extension, something regarded as irrational, mysterious, or supposedly supernatural

   Han avfeide hele teorien som ren voodoo. ― He dismissed the whole theory as pure voodoo.

   • 1989, Aftenposten, number 23, page 25, column 6:

     en økonomisk politikk som [George Bush] under valgkampen i 1980 … hadde betegnet som voodoo

     an economic policy which [George Bush], during the 1980 election campaign, … had described as voodoo

   • 2012, Lars Fredrik Beckstrøm, edited by Lars Lillo-Stenberg, deLillos komplett, voodoo, page 75:

     hun forhekser meg denne kvinnen[,] jeg tror det er voodoo hun driver med

     this woman is bewitching me[,] I think it's voodoo she's practising

Derived terms

• voodoodukke (“voodoo doll”)

See also

• zombie (“zombie”)

References

• “voodoo” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “voodoo” in Norwegian Academy Dictionary (NAOB).
• “voodoo” in Store norske leksikon

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From English voodoo, from Louisiana Creole voudou, from Haitian Creole vodou, from a West African language.

Noun

voodoo m (definite singular voodooen, indefinite plural voodooar, definite plural voodooane)

1. voodoo

References

• “voodoo” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Alternative forms

• wudu

Etymology

Etymology tree

Fon voduder.

Haitian Creole Vodouder.

Louisiana Creole voudoubor.

English voodooubor.

Polish voodoo

Unadapted borrowing from English voodoo, from Louisiana Creole voudou, from Haitian Creole vodou, from a West African language.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvu.du/
• Rhymes: -udu
• Syllabification: voo‧doo

Noun

voodoo n (indeclinable)

1. voodoo (Afro-Caribbean religion)

Further reading

• “voodoo”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[2] (in Polish)

Swedish

Noun

voodoo c

1. voodoo

Declension

Declension of voodoo

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	voodoo	voodoos
	definite	voodoon	voodoons
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

References

• “voodoo”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “voodoo”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “voodoo”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)