Also vodun. a polytheistic religion practiced chiefly by West Indians, deriving principally from African cult worship and containing elements borrowed from the Catholic religion.
a person who practices this religion.
a fetish or other object of voodoo worship.
a group of magical and ecstatic rites associated with voodoo.
(not in technical use) black magic; sorcery.
adjective
of, pertaining to, associated with, or practicing voodoo.
Informal. characterized by deceptively simple, almost as if magical, solutions or ideas: voodoo economics.
verb (used with object),voo·dooed,voo·doo·ing.
to affect by voodoo sorcery.
Origin of voodoo
1810–20, Americanism;<Louisiana French, earlier vandoux, vandoo< a West African source perhaps akin to Ewe vodũ demon
Words nearby voodoo
von Recklinghausen's disease, von Rundstedt, von Sternberg, Von Stroheim, von Willebrand's disease, voodoo, voodooism, voorkamer, voorskot, Voortrekker, VOR
Voodoo is the official religion of Haiti and was brought into the West Indies nation by African slaves.
‘Gods of Suburbia’: Dina Goldstein’s Arresting Photo Series on Religion vs. Consumerism|Dina Goldstein|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Voodoo, the demarcation between life and death is more fluid; helping Voodoo followers create order out of disorder.
‘Gods of Suburbia’: Dina Goldstein’s Arresting Photo Series on Religion vs. Consumerism|Dina Goldstein|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the background, outside, is Papa Legba, who is a Loa, the word for a Voodoo deity.
‘Gods of Suburbia’: Dina Goldstein’s Arresting Photo Series on Religion vs. Consumerism|Dina Goldstein|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are whispers of a history of voodoo ceremonies and mysterious orbs of light appearing in photos.
The Sacrificial Limbs of New Orleans|Nina Strochlic|March 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another declared she was a voodoo princess performing chants to make sure I got breast cancer.
The Story Behind the Latest Michael Jackson Bombshell|Diane Dimond|July 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Im sure I shall never wish to see a voodoo service after hearing you speak of government and politics, laughed Polly.
Polly's Southern Cruise|Lillian Elizabeth Roy
And she told of a neighbor who had lost a child at the hands of the voodoo worshipers less than two months gone.
The Voodoo Gold Trail|Walter Walden
There is much about Voodoo and other things that puzzles me; but this I know.
Wyndham's Pal|Harold Bindloss
He was perpetually raving over the Finnish, the Voodoo, the Hindu.
Ivory Apes and Peacocks|James Huneker
His first act was to bore a hole with an auger in the cedar, insert the voodoo charm and plug the hole firmly.
Sons and Fathers|Harry Stillwell Edwards
British Dictionary definitions for voodoo
voodoo
/ (ˈvuːduː) /
nounplural-doos
Also called: voodooisma religious cult involving witchcraft and communication by trance with ancestors and animistic deities, common in Haiti and other Caribbean islands
a person who practises voodoo
a charm, spell, or fetish involved in voodoo worship and ritual
adjective
relating to or associated with voodoo
verb-doos, -dooingor-dooed
(tr)to affect by or as if by the power of voodoo
Derived forms of voodoo
voodooist, nounvoodooistic, adjective
Word Origin for voodoo
C19: from Louisiana French voudou, ultimately of West African origin; compare Ewe vodu guardian spirit
A form of animism (see also animism) involving trances and other rituals. Communication with the dead is a principal feature of voodoo. It is most common in the nations of the Caribbean Sea, especially Haiti, where people sometimes mingle voodoo and Christian practices.