saphien.
/ˈsafiː/ North African.
A charm.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > non-European magic (miscellaneous) > [noun] > amulet
fetish1613
gris-gris1696
obeah1749
wonder-bag1793
saphie1799
churinga1899
1799 M. Park Trav. Afr. (ed. 2) xvi. 206 He..desired me to write him a saphie.
1817 T. E. Bowdich Mission to Ashantee (1819) ii. iv. 271 The most surprising superstition of the Ashantees, is their confidence in the fetishes or saphies they purchase so extravagantly from the Moors.
1847 S. Lee Afr. Wanderers xvii. 297 Scraps of the Koran, esteemed as charms, and called safies.
1904 M. Gaunt Arm of Leopard 256 The more or less Arabic charms known as Saphis.
1905 R. A. Freeman Golden Pool 108 I..hung round my neck a saffi or amulet.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1909; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
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