voodoo

Where does the word "voodoo" come from? It comes from Fon/Ewe vodu, passing through Haitian Creole before entering English (1800s).

Voodoo’s story begins in Fon/Ewe: vodu meant “spirit, deity.” Meaning "spirit" or "deity", a West African religious tradition. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in Haitian Creole as vodou. Carried to Haiti by enslaved West Africans and blended with Catholic elements. It reached English by 1800s as voodoo. From Fon 'vodun', spirit; Marie Laveau was the famous voodoo queen of New Orleans. Today, voodoo means a syncretic religion blending West African spiritual traditions with Catholic elements.

1. Stage 1 · Fon/Ewe · ancient vodu "spirit, deity", meaning "spirit" or "deity", a West African religious tradition.
2. Stage 2 · Haitian Creole · 1700s vodou "a syncretic spiritual religion", carried to Haiti by enslaved West Africans and blended with Catholic elements.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s voodoo "a syncretic African diaspora religion", from Fon 'vodun', spirit; Marie Laveau was the famous voodoo queen of New Orleans.